64 OUR HOME PETS 



think almost every bird enjoys a bath, pro- 

 vided he has the conveniences for it. I have 

 not found an exception to this in my bird- 

 room, though I will say that I never kept 

 parrots. 



My discovery of what I consider the very 

 best bird-bath was made by chance. The first 

 bird I ever kept was an English goldfinch, 

 which was given to me. This bird, as perhaps 

 every one knows, is a little smaller than a ca- 

 nary. In trying to make him comfortable, 

 the absurdity of the bath struck me, and I 

 looked about for some more suitable dish. I 

 tried several things, but not one was right 

 until my eyes fell upon a saucer belonging to 

 a common earthen flower -pot. It was about 

 the size of a coffee-cup saucer, and, of course, 

 somewhat rough. I tried this, and found it 

 thick and perfect. Its thick edge enabled the 

 bird to perch and hold on without trouble, its 

 roughness prevented his slipping, its shallow- 

 ness insured him against too great depth of 

 water. 



The delight of the bird, who had just come 

 from the ship in which he had crossed the 

 ocean, showed me that I had guessed right 



