by Alex A. Kecskes
The ancients believed that birds represented the souls of the dead, and that a bird attacking a window or trying to enter a house was thought to be the soul of a dead person coming to lead the deceased's body into the afterlife.
While a few still believe birds to be souls on the wing, most consider them to be either friends or foe, sans the mysticism. As friends they cheer us up with song. As foe, we simply want to
get rid of birds, since they so often cost us time and aggravation. Their droppings can destroy rooftop ventilators, solar panels and air conditioners. They can ruin the paint on our homes and cars, cause us to slip and fall on their slick poop. And even make us seriously ill. In the past, birds were simply killed--shot, trapped or poisoned. But today, fortune favors the kind. And we now have a variety of humane and highly effective ways to
get rid of birds.
