208 



Bird- Lore 



with water. Many changes and addi- 

 tions may be worked out, starting with this 

 simple plan. Last summer I added to 

 mine a narrow run-way ending in a small 

 basin 3 inches deep and 6 inches in diame- 

 ter. The larger birds, like the Robin, 

 Flicker, and Grackle loved to sit in this 

 basin after bathing in larger ones. 



Five minutes' work each morning with 

 garden hose and broom will keep the 

 bath clean. In hot weather I let the water 

 drip in it all day, hiding the hose in shrub- 

 bery which, when planted around the 

 edges, adds greatly to the beauty of 

 bath. 



Do not plant anything higher than 5 or 

 6 inches or you will have a hiding-place 

 for cats. Violets, hepaticas, dwarf sweet 

 alyssum and low-growing ferns are nice 

 for the purpose.- — May S. Banner, 

 Canton, Ohio, 



Dressed in White 



While at my country home in Monroe 

 County, W. Va., this summer, I had the 

 interesting experience of seeing something 

 rare in bird-life. 



It was nearly dusk one July evening 

 and I was strolling in the yard when a 

 white bird flitted past me. 



I knew there were no Pigeons in the 

 neighborhood, and, besides, the bird was 

 smaller than a Pigeon. 



It puzzled me. I followed it with my 

 eyes until it alighted in a low tree in the 

 orchard, but when I drew near the divid- 

 ing-fence for a closer view, it flew out of 

 sight amid the shrubbery. 



About a month later I saw it again, as 

 I went after my mail. It was sitting on 

 the fence near the mail-box. A dozen or 

 more Robins were on the fence and ground. 

 As I approached, all flew across the road 

 into the meadow. I cautiously peered 

 over the fence, and there was my white 

 bird, hopping about among his mates, 

 head cocked to one side in the listening 

 attitude of our old friend, the Robin. 



I even heard his cheerful Robin chirp. 

 In size and shape he was like the rest, but 



if there was a single dark feather in his 

 plumage, I failed to detect it, so I think I 

 saw that uncommon bird, a snow-white 

 Robin. — (Miss) Lena Leoti Johnson, 

 Covington, Ky. 



A White Swallow 



I am writing to inform you of a bird 

 which was observed here several times 

 during the last week of July, 1916. Three 

 other men and myself observed it July 29, 

 1916. It was apparently a white Barn 

 Swallow. It was with other Barn Swal- 

 lows, chasing over hay meadows. It had 

 the size, shape, actions and general char- 

 acteristics of Barn Swallows, but was pure 

 white, except its bill, which showed 

 dark as it flew. The other Swallows 

 seemed at times to chase it, then at other 

 times it flew among them unnoticed. It is 

 the only pure white bird ever seen by 

 many in this town. — R. T. Burdick, 

 Crown Point, N. Y. 



An Albino Grackle 



About noon one day the middle of this 

 month, my friend, Mrs. Pound, heard an 

 unusual fussing among the birds in her 

 back yard. Her home is right in town, not 

 more than three blocks from the business 

 section, but she has a lot with trees, shrubs, 

 and flowers in the back yard. 



Coming out, she found four of the 

 ordinary Bronzed Grackles in one of the 

 trees, and one exactly like the others 

 except that he had two white feathers, 

 one on either side of the tail, about the 

 middle. The other Grackles were not 

 fighting him especially, but were very 

 evidently curious and anxious to find out 

 about the strange bird, and all of them, 

 including the white-feathered one, kept 

 repeating their metallic calls with rather 

 more emphasis than usual. 



We have seen entirely white or albino 

 Grackles in the outskirts of town, but this 

 is the first reported around here having 

 just the two white feathers in the tail. — 

 Lillian S. Loveland, Lincoln, Neb. 



