Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1960-06-09, Page 6Ntomfeti It is Sunday afternoon as f write, Partner and Taffy have gone over to the golf links for It walk and I am sitting outside an the patio for the ''first time this spring. It is very lovely. A whole acre of wild grass, around site, plentifully besprinkled with golden daffodils. Tall, budding trees are reaching skyward; small trees and shrubs are doing their best the same way. With .moisture in abundance for se !long all they now ask is plenty of warm, bright sunshine. Given that they will soon reward us with greening leaves, and in some cases with fragrant bloom. Song birds are flitting from tree to tree, sometimes perching long enough to send forth a mating call. Robins, starlings and spar- rows are strutting around on the grass, glad, no doubt, that the long delayed warmth is bringing out of hiding insects so necessary to bird life exist- ence. I have just put fresh crumbs into the feeding station. Several birds have come to it already and then, seeing nue, have flown away again. After et few days they will realize I am harmless and will come M feed regardless. For a time I was disappointed in the results from my feeding - station - I thought the only birds taking advantage of it were starlings. And then one day, when there were so many of them, I noticed there were a'evera] different species. That sent me in search el my bird - book. From it I discovered that ell members of the blackbird family are not starlings. The common starling, imported from England, which we dislike so ;much, is the yellow -beaked bird. 1Vfost other blackbirds have (black or grey beaks and very few of them are destructive. My book lists eight different species. "Brewer's Blackbird" which I suppose most of us take for a starling, is particularly benefi- e]al in destroying insects. It looks like a large starling ex- cept that it has a black beak, end a greenish -purple head with e lovely metallic sheen. It al- ways reminds me of the gorge- ous colouring of a peacock's tail. Also beneficial is the Rusty 'blackbird or Grackle -all black but with rusty overtones and a !harsh voice. And of course everyone is familiar with the Red -winged Blackbird and its clear call - "O-kee-ree . . . Cut -to -Slenderize i ... , A A:R) PATTERN 4757 SIZES 34-48 sesasf 'IT PLUS FLATTERY in a playsuit designed for larger fig - res. Built-up bodice hides bra, ruffed boy -shorts give a trim leg line. Choose crisp pique, shark - akin, broadcloth. Printed Pattern 4757: Women's ,Sixes 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48. Size 36 takes 23/4 yards 35 - inch. Printed directions on each pat- tern part. Easier, accurate. Send FORTY CENTS (stamps xsannot be accepted, use postal ipote for safety) for this pattern. Please print plainly SIZE, NAME, ADDRESS, STYLE r�f'UJMII3ER. Send order to ANNE ADAMS, Bos 'I. 1.28 Eighteenth St., New 'Toronto, Ont. .ISSUE 23 -. I966 o-Kee-ree. it is another bird that should be welcomed by gar. deners. The sentient of the blackbird family is the Cowbird, Every f arm e r knows the cowbird. Flecks of them follow hint around during spring -seeding or congregate in pastures where cattle are browsing. They spell death to millions of insects but their domestic life leaves much to be desired. Like the English cuckoo, they are parasites; never build a nest for themselves or raise their own young. They lay their eggs in other birds' nests, usually a day or two before the rightful owners, By this means the cowbird eggs hatch ahead of the others and the baby birds, having a head start, win out in the battle for food. The fledg- lings eventually crowd their companions out of the nest be- fore they are ready to fly. And so the usurpers live at the ex- pense of the natives. (Come to think of it, history night reveal a parallel in human behaviour if we should look for it. But we won't go into that now better to stay with the birds.) To my surprise I found the Oriole is also a member of the blackbird family. Everyone knows and loves the oriole. His sweet song and brilliant plu- mage is unmistakeable. So, after studying the various species of blackbirds and starlings, I now feel much happier about keep- ing their feeding station well supplied with crumbs and tid- bits. I hated to think all I was feeding was a flock of pesky starlings. But now, after watch- ing them, I know we get just as many blackbirds with black beaks as yellow. But, unfortun- ately, we can't feed one without the other. With so much going on in the world today you may wonder that I should devote so much time to thinking and writing about the birds. But you know bow it is, in times of stress some find solace in one way, some in another. Some lose themselves in work, others go out on a binge. I find comfort in nature. No one can look around in the lovely springtime these days and say "God's in his heaven, all's right with the world." To even think such a thing would be foolish. The world is far from right. But we know it could be - and perhaps will be again. God has done his part - "only man is vile." Nature gives us re- assuring comfot t that God is still in his heaven - just wait- ing, no doubt, for us erring folks to come to terms. If you feel down and depressed just take a walk through the woods, or sit quietly in your own back gar- den, and I'll guarantee you will soon feel a different person - far more so than you would after takng a drive along our busy highways. You can't find relaxation there - and relaxa- tion is what we all need at times. WiH Atomic War Start By Accident? "I have a great fear that there will be a third world war," said Dr. Albert Schweitzer when he was asked what message he had for the coming summit confer- ence in Paris. "Every day the great powers delay disarmament we add to the awful threat of atomic war." The renowned Christian hu- manitarian and 1952 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize was speaking to Lisle M. Ramsey, a St. Louis advertising executive, at Schweitzer's hospital in Lam- barene, French Equatorial Afri- ca. This month Ramsey, who heads the Religious Heritage of America, a national interfaith organization which sponsored his trip, gave NEWSWEEK high- lights of the interview. "Although Dr. Scweitzer was celebrating his 85th birthday (Jan. 14)," reports Ramsey, it would be wrong to give the im- pression that he is a gloomy old man. Ile acts twenty years younger, and his sense of humor is bright and hearty. 'My friend. he cautioned me, 'never forget how to have humor. It is so ne- cessary when there are so many serious problems that require serious thought'.' "France's atonic -test plans discouraged hien deeply. 'If Rus- sia and the United States had opposed these tests vigorously, he declared, "it could have been a turning point away from atomico conflict. As more and more countries develop bombs, the hazard of a third world war grows dangerously. And if France can make an atom bomb so can any other nation.' He pre- dicted that Red China would be testing nuclear weapons in a matter of months. "Schweitzer does not believe that any nation will set off an atomic ware deliberately. 'It will start by accident,' he said. 'As more nations join the insane race for superiority in weapons, the probability of mistake mounts daily'." Ramsey reports that Dr, MRS. HYAMS displays some letters from other sufferers. Sleepless Britons Are Asking Who Is Making "The Big Hum"? By TOM A. CULLEN Newspaper Enterprise Assn. Canterbury, England - In the peaceful apple orchards of East Kent, the garden basket of Eng- land, people are walking around red -eyed for lack of sleep, It's all because of the BJg Hum, the mysterious noise which murders sleep and undermines the health of those who hear it. Nobody knows what causes the Big Hum. Some say that it comes from .a secret atomic in- stallation underground, others, that it is caused by industrial equipment, such as dynamos, generators or cold storage plants. Still others blame Russian radio -jamming techniques or American radar devices. But no- body knows. Nor is the Big Hum confined to East Kent, I have seen let- ters from people as far apart as Cornwall and Dublin who com- plain of the noise, claiming that it is driving them batty. A few of the letters are from obvious cranks but most of them sound sincere. The Big Huni has been the subject of a question in Parlia- ment, but the Ministries of Sci- ence, Supply and Aviation dis- claim of all responsibility for the noise. So do the electricity boards and the General Post Of- fice, which is responsible for all telephone installations. In a picturesque, timbered cot- tage in the village of Molests, Kent (population 259), I talked to bearded ' novelist Edward Hyams and his wife, the couple who started the furore over the hum. Hyams, an ex -Royal Navy radar officer, hears the hum- ming noise only occasionally. But his wile, who writes cook books, says: "I've tried everything to blot out the noise. I've put wax plugs in my ears, tied a woolen scarf around my head, taken sleeping pills and sat up in bed reading a book on How to Sleep by Re- laxing, but it still does no good. My bedroom sounds as though it were a spinning top." What does the hunt sound like? "It is low-pitched and inter- mittent," Mrs. Hyams explained. "It is stronger inside the house than outside, louder at night than during the daytime; and on weekends it Is worse." Schwietzer was as free with his indictment of the world's re- ligious leaders as he was of the political chiefs. "He feels that Christians especially are te blame," continued Ramsey, "be- cause they do not practice what they preach. "I asked him what he would pick if he could have three wishes for his birthday, The doctor shot back; '1 do not need three. 1 have only one wish - that the people of the world will develop an ethical and humani- tarian way of life, and therefore a peaceful world'." _. ;.errs. Il,trt btu= 11 _l 115 "5 didn't get a raise, but the boss sale I ran heap on being late." Mrs. Hyams has been to every kind of a doctor, including one who checked her head for loose bones that might vibrate, All have given her a clean bill of health. An electronics expert also tested Mrs. Hyams and found she had extremely sensitive bearing, picking up sounds at 30 cycles per second. "I've had hystreia twice since the hum started," Mrs. Hyams continued. "And I'n, not an hys- terical person. I'm the phleg- matic type." The couple began to feel. that perhaps they were going daffy until the letters started flooding in. As a rseult of a press inter- view and a television appear- ' anee, Hyams has received over 400 letters from all parts of Britain complaining of the Big .Hum. A large number have come from Kent. Like Hyams, most of the let- ter -writers had had electric mains, telephone wiring, water pipes and electric appliances checked in an effort to eliminate the noise. But the writers differ in their description of the Big Hum. Some say that is low- pitched and intermittent; others, that it is a continuous, high- pitched sound. The Big Hum has other pe- culiarities. It is heard more dis- tinctly near the sea coast than inland, it varies with the wind and fog magnifies it. Adults, ap- parently, are more prone to hear it than children. Novelist Hyams, who is also somthing of a radar expert has this possible explanation for the noise:: "It may be that the hum is caused by two noises with differ- ent frequencies that travel un- derground like shock waves. In that case, a house could act as a re:aeneLos at the sect of the :meet wave. "Mind you, we dune want to be unreasonable about it, but the authorities refuse to take us into their confidence. They treat us lila children." His wife, who comes up to London frequently to gel away from the Big Hum, agreed. "All we want is to live in peace and to enjoy our garden," she sighed. "Why should we be sounded out of our peaceful cot- tage by this dreadful noise?" Most Renowned Bird Songster Philomela, or the Nightingale, is the head of the somewhat large bird - family of Warblers, and is the most renowned of all feathered songsters, though some judges think the garden -ousel exceeds it in mellowness, and the thrush in compass of voice, but that, in every other respect, it excels them all, For ivy part, however, I think no singing -bird is equal to„it; and listening to it when 'in full song, in the still- ness of a summer's night am ready to say with good old heals Walton: "The nightingale, another of my airy creatures, breathes such sweet music out of her little in- strumental throat, that it might make mankind to think that miracles had not ceased. He that at midnight, when the weary labourer sleeps securely, should hear, as I have very often heard, the clear airs, the sweet descants, the natural rising and falling, the doubling and redoubling of her voice, might well be lifted above earth and say, 'Lord, what music hast Thou provided for the saints in heaven, when Thou affordest bad men such music on earth!' ” In 'colour, the upper parts of the nightingale are of a rich brown; the tail of a reddish tint; the throat and underparts of the body, greyish -white; the neck and breast, grey; the bill and legs, light brown. Its size is about that of the garden war- blers, which it resembles in form -being, in fact, one of that family. Thus, the most admired of all singers -the subject of poets' songs and eulogies, the bird that people walk far and wide to listen to, of 'which they talk for weeks before it comes, noting down the day of its ar- rival as if it were the Queen or the Queen's son -is yet nothing but a little insignificant brown bird, not to be named with the parrot for plumage, nor with the little goldfinch, who always looks as if he had his Sunday suit on. But this is a good lesson for us. The little brown nightingale, with his little brown wife in the thickety copse, with their simple unpretending nest, not built up aloft on the tree branch, but humbly at the tree's root, or even on the very ground itself, may teach us that the world's exter- nal show or costliness is not true greatness. The world's best bird - singer' might have been as big as an eagle, attired in colours of blue and scarlet and orange like the grandest macaw. But the great Creator willed tittle it should not be so - his streugth„ :aid his fuu'icuseess . . , wore sufficient for the i' le, and lits shining vestments for the Ma. caw; whilst the bind to whieh was given the divinest gift ut song must be humble and minis• trusive, small of size, with nh surpassing beauty of plumage, and loving best to hide itself in. the -.thick seclusion of the case in. hich broods the little rno- ther-bird, the very counterpart of himself, upon her olive -col- oured eggs, -From "Birds and Their Nests." by Mary SIowitt, 19th Century. Latex paints, named 'after the mills -like juice of the rubber tree, are actually a development of the synthetic rubber program of World War II, They are easy to apply, have no odour, dry quickly and are fully washable after 30 days. Cute and Cool aiL )/ ✓ 868 ty ratote:ftuak 28' Daughter looks so pretty in this whirl -skirted pinafore. Col- ourful embroidery trims neck. Button front - she can dress all by herself! Pattern 866: em- broidery transfer, pattern chil- dren's sizes 2, 4, 6, 8 included; directions for sewing. Send THIRTY - FIVE CENTS (stamps cannot be accepted, use postal note for safety) for this pattern to Laura Wheeler, Box 1, 123 Eighteenth St., New Tor- onto, Ont. Print plainly PAT- TERN NUMBER, your NAME and ADDRESS. New! New! New! Our 1960 Laura Wheeler Needlecraft Book is ready NOW! Crammed with exciting, . unusual, popular de- signs to crochet, knit, sew, em- broider, quilt, weave -fashions, home furnishings, toys, gifts, bazaar hits. In the book FREE - 3 quilt patterns. Hurry, send 25 cents for your copy. ART WORLD - Although she's 102 years old, Mrs. Eugenia Palmer Brown still re- lies on her painting h'o b b y to keep her young and "independ- ent.`' While in Rome, balmy weather lures scores of amateur art- ists to the city zoo to capture on canvas the antics of polar bears. Occasion was a con- test for "Sunday art- ists," won by the bud- ding DaVinci in the foreground.