Evening star., 1949-09-20
This and That
By Charles E. TracewelI
ARLINGTON, Va.

Dear Sir: -.
Tam writing to tell you to warn Templeton
Jones about visiting in New Mexico ~
7 have received q letter from friend In
Albuquerque telling shout killing centipede
inches long and body as thick as her finger
In her living room with scales on its body.
MY feeding stations are all deserted except
Tor the redbirds and sparrows
II suppose the songbirds are meeting in
the woods getting ready to leave for the
South. I hate to see them 60.
Why did all the old squirrels leave the
young ones to feed with the birds this sum-
mer? Will they return to winter with the
young squirrels? Sincerely. @. T. M"
Redbirds and common sparrows are, Of
course. songbirds as well as any.
Cousins. the cardinal and English sparrow
love to eat together.
They remain all winter and with the star
ling and the mockingbird and the blue Jay,
other year-around species, help to make
winter bird watching the sport It can oe
To these must be added the chickadee
titmouse and song sparrow. along with the
white breasted nuthatch.
Here we have a fine list of birds, easily
induced to come to almost any yard where
sunflower seed, in particular. is put out
***
The song Of the common sparrow is not
always rated as high as it deserves.
Some Of the bird books even 60 50 far
af1eld as to describe it as "a harsh chirp."
Actually 1t Is not as harsh as all that
Human judgments are often colored by the
thoughts Of the holders. II one has gone 80
far as to call the common sparrow "a
feathered rat" Is one very fine professional
b1rdman did, then 1t Is easy enough for one
~ faa1 $hA 3S
harsh.
Actually. the sparrow song is not displeas-
ing. by itself. as solo work. and when it Is
united with score of other sparrow voices
the choral result is good.
We know OF no finer music on q cold
winter afternoon that the chorus Of English
sparrows in the rose vine, after Q hearty meal
Of sunflower seed and baby chick feed.
The blend is excellent.
The total result Is enheartening and gen.
timely musical. The listener will not have
to stretch his musical imagination in the
least. Often he must do so in listening to
much Of our modern" music. (Not such
things as Aaron Copland's "Rodeo," or Henry
Hadley's Jubilee. No. l." These are good.)
The sparrow music is as modern as day.
light. It comes with peculiar grace in days
when the grass Is gray and the trees bare
trying to keep warm.
Then only the fresh song Of the song
sparrow. an infinitely superior musician,
excels the common sparrow music.
AA4H 4
One may believe that the parent squirrels
let the young hunt food for themselves in
summer so that they will be used to doing
it by cold weather.
The squirrel teeth need much biting and
gnawing to keep them from growing too long
Without the exercise Of gnawing tough
shells, such as walnuts, the teeth would grow
SO long that the animal could not eat at ALL
The acorn is the softer and gives the young
spring squirrel an excellent chance to become
acquainted with food that not only is good
for him but also for his teeth.
Then he graduates to the harder -shelled
nuts and SO is able to 60 through his first
winter.
It is most likely that the parents will be
somewhere in the neighborhood and may
even join the young at some favored feeding
station where plenty Of sunfower seed are
served. But the chances are that the parents
will not recognize their own. That Is the
animal way. In most cases animals only
know their own, after q separation. If kept
indoors.
In the open, where wind and rain washes
away all unusual scents, the parent animal
has no way Of recognizing its own after they
become adult. 1t makes no difference. Every
new creature is separate being, a lonely
soul from the beginning, who must face life
and meet his God at last by himself.