Evening star., 1952-03-30

blooms would Sweeten the air
around Lafayette Park in late April.
The signs Of the season were
not confined to public places. The
surest ones, as always, were to be
found in back yards-in any corner
or Granny where something might
grow. Daffodil and jonquil, pussy
willow and crocus-all Of them were
there, or Just on the verge. Climb
ing roses were showing green. For a
week, at least, the grass had been
starting new blades and sprucing
up the old ones. There was rough
to be taken with the smooth jap
anese beetle grubs were moving to
the surface to feed on grass roots,
while moleS started their blind
underground pursuit Of the grubs.
There wasn't any question, things
were on the move.
Things Of all kinds. The birds
were arriving in force. Something
like 100000 robins busily hunted for
earthworms on the moist lawns.
With them came added numbers
of species which had spent the
winter here-bluebirds and cardi-
mails, nuthatches and titmice, some
mocking birds, friendly chickadees
and various sparrows, including
the song sparrow and the Eng
ish and hite-throated varieties.
Downy woodpeckers,, hairy wood
peckers, red-bellied woodpeckers-
and starlings, brown creepers,
doves, pigeons, hawks and turkey
buzzards. And the bald eagles,
which nest along the Potomac near
Alexandria.
Lying close to the great Atlantic
fiyway of bird migration, WASH
ington was providing, as usual, a
temporary stopping place for birds
which would summer farther
North. The great wild geese passed
over, but smaller birds found it
pleasant to stop for a rest where
the land would be green and the
food plentiful. The warblers were
yet to come, in April and May,
and the purple f1ncheS and fox
sparrows had come and gone. But
last week, the local bird popula-
ton was swelled by the presence
Of gulls hunting millipedes near
the W& College, by flocks Of
cedar waxwings, by ruby crowned
and golden-crowned kinglets, by
juncoS, or snowbirds, and by eve
ming grosbeaks which had arrived
in February and would stay until
May.
And here. for the summer were
wood thrusl1es, house wrens, cow
birds and brown thrashers. The
catbirds would be along In another
three weeks or so.
Fish. Beers and People
The season made itself felt in
the water no less than in the air.
Shad and herring were running in
the Potomac again, on their way
to spawn in the muddy narrows
above Chain Bridge-so thick that
some herring were forced into
Rock Greek, where fishermen lined
the banks as on the river to snag
them with bare hooks. Catfish and
perch already lured anglers to the
Quieter waters above Great Falls.
At the Zoo, elephants and gi-
raffeS, lions and tigers were wait
ing only for the ground to dry
before moving outdoors. Bears had
shaken off their winter sleepiness
and were moving about more brisk
ly now. They, like camels and
buffaloes, were starting to shed
old coats and to grow new ones.
Among the crowds which were
wandering through the grounds, a
little girl paused by the camel
cage, examining the occupant So
berly. "He needs new upholstery"
she said. He was getting it.
And so, of course, were the people.
For many of them, the .change
meant that new light suit or that
new print dress. For all, 1t meant
many things, and the reaction
expressed itself in many different
ways.
People walked more, without
fixed purpose, looking at the Paris
hats and the Easter Dummies In the
shop windows, and at the pastel
clouds against blue sky at dusk,
They fed the squirrels in their lunch
hours, and spaded the garden at
home. They took down storm wins
dows and put up screens. They
found it hard to concentrate on
most things, including their trou-
bles. They put the top down on
the car, leafed through all the seed
catalogues, hunted up last years
golf balls and made valiant at
tempts to get the power lawnmower
started again. They made a stab
at housekeeping and prepared for
the arrival of visiting relatives
They stood around the hardware
stores, lingering hoes and trowels
bright with paint. They exhibited
marked tendency to stare out the
window for minutes at a time. Nc
one held 1t against them.
The lovers-young ones, and
some not so -strolled in the