SANCTUARY 277 



*'Shan, do you like bathing?" 



The boy stared at his questioner with surprise. 



** Eight much," he answered; "I take a swim 

 every morning, sir; you know that." 



''Did you ever stop to think that your birds 

 might like to take a bath ? ' ' 



''A bath, sir?" 



''Yes. Birds need good water to drink as well 

 as good food to eat, and, if there is any place 

 where they can have a bath, they will come from 

 miles around to it. You ought to have at least 

 half a dozen bath tubs in the Sanctuary." 



"What's a bird's bath-tub, sir?" asked Shan. 



"Any hollow space, clean, with a rough bottom, 

 not more than two and a half inches deep at the 

 deepest point and shading off to nothing at the 

 shallows, filled with clean, fresh water," came the 

 categoric reply. "That doesn't seem a great deal 

 to ask. But you 'd be surprised, Shan, if you tried 

 to find a place like that in the woods, to see how 

 few there are. Any little puddle which is only 

 two and a half inches deep is dried up by one day's 

 sun. If it is a regular marshy place, the edge 

 probably is soft mud into which a bird dare not 

 step because his little feet would sink right into it. 



"You often see birds taking a bath in muddy 



