226 Wild Bird Guests 



shining surface tell just where two little song 

 sparrows are cooling off for the night. 



We have been altogether too busy to keep 

 close watch on this bath but at different times 

 we have observed the following birds using it: 

 Flicker, phoebe, Baltimore oriole, purple finch, 

 white-winged crossbill, American goldfinch, ves- 

 per sparrow, white-throated sparrow, chipping 

 sparrow, junco, song sparrow, chewink, cedar 

 waxwing, black-and-white warbler, Nashville 

 warbler, myrtle warbler, chestnut-sided warbler, 

 catbird, brown thrasher, hermit thrush, robin, 

 and bluebird. Probably there have been many 

 more which we have not observed. The arrange- 

 ment of steps, while interesting, is by no means 

 necessary, and a bath of the same size, say three 

 feet long, two feet wide, and three inches deep, 

 with a continuously sloping and roughened 

 bottom, starting at one end half an inch from 

 the top and ending at the other end at its lowest 

 point, would probably answer the purpose just 

 as well. And speaking of the roughened bottom, 

 reminds me that almost if not quite as important 

 as the depth of water in a bird bath, is the char- 

 acter of the footing on the bottom. This should 

 never be slippery, for birds lose confidence when 

 they find they cannot keep their feet. A layer 

 of course sand or fine pebbles will usually give 



