Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-05-06
This and That
BIZ Charles b. Trdceirell

By Charles B. Trdceireu
The wild sweet song OF the evening robin
was coming in the window.
Lilacs were wet in the rain.
It was real television at Its best, not
contaminated with tubes or machines not
transmitted by anything but actually here
and now, for no more trouble than looking.
What q wonder bird the robin Is!
Steady and sturdy. he sometimes suffers
the fate of all steady. sturdy things.
He Is so steady he lacks glamor, SO sturdy
that he never gets the raw edge of pity in
his behalf.
Nobody weeps over the robin. He Is just
In there pulling worms out OF the ground
attending to his rightful business of robin
go-round.
The wild sweet song" OF this perfect
American never sounds any better than at
eventide.
Then especially when he is calling for
rain" even though it may be all around
him. the notes are true music.
This MARBLE is rolling, making more Of
tune than a listener usually suspects.
1t is attuned to the lilacs. in particular.
Tall and noble the bushes stand. Some
of them are too tall. 'Ieggy." it is called.
In garden jargon.
Leggy 1t is, too: there is something su-
premely appropriate about a tall lilac with
Its plumes of flowers all at the top of the
bushes.
1t is seldom in this section of the country
that lilac bushes grow both tall and well
shaped.
That seems to have been reserved for the
New England territory.
But the time comes when too tall lilacs
must be pruned.
Let it never be until after they have
bloomed. The robins like them so well!
Often this noble bird is seen resting on
their branches bathed in the sweet perfume.
Lilac scent Is never heavy, never per-
suasive. 1t has no "dxers" in it. as man.
made perfumes have. Lilac scent In nature
is never spiked with alcohol 1t comes out
Of the mysterious heart Of all things. and
speaks to the inner sanctity of the spirit.
Lilac odor has an odd way of coming into
open windows at some times. not coming
in others. Suddenly one smells it. and is
pleased. Most of the time the watcher must
be content with looking at the blossoms.
unless he goes up in q personal, bee-like
fashion, and takes sniff.
Shifting the lilac blossoms all day long
What better life for bee or a robin?
Birds can smell. Their moses" are not
prominent. like ours. but they serve them
very well.
The old discussion as to how a robin
catches its worm. will never die.
The best opinion has 1t that he does 1t
by bone combustion" That Is a phrase
often used In connection with human hear
ing. and especially hearing devices
The robin has bone In his head. and as
q part of his hearing organs.
The rustic Of the worm In the ground
sets UP a sort Of vibration in the robin
head, and this, by the miracle of brain
power. is translated into something In the
robin mind which may be translated,
roughly. as
Food"
Old Man Robin. as he stands there.
eagerly looking at the earth. slightly bent
forward. sometimes with lone ear as 1t
were, cooked in the wind is really looking.
Of course.
He also is listening
So he may be said to both use his eyes
and ears to catch his dinner. But the real
work is done by bone conduction." After
all, it makes no difference In the world to
the robin how it is done. just 50 long rs
he does IL.
Every person interested in birds should
make q real effort to listen 10 the robin
sing. Too often people fail to hear him. His
music has been called BACKGROUND music"
That Is, 1t fits into the noises Of the open
air so well that one must listen carefully.
ut first TO differentiate IL. Once it Is grasped
by ears and mind. it Is never forgotten.
and can be singled out above all other
outdoor sounds. This music Ia well worth
understanding. II has something wildly
sweet about it, something telling us why we
are here, ard where we are going, II Ne
viii but listen closely enough.