108 OUR HOME PETS 



and all of them need it now and then for 

 health. It is customary to bathe a parrot by 

 putting him, in his cage or out, according to 

 his degree of tameness, into a bath-tub or 

 basin, spraying him with lukewarm water from 

 a hose sprinkler or a watering-pot, and keep- 

 ing him in a warm room for several hours. 

 Most birds like this sort of shower-bath as 

 often as once a fortnight. Another way is to 

 dip a leafy branch in water, and hang it in 

 his cage, where he can rub against it. Most 

 of them enjoy this arrangement thoroughly; 

 it probably approaches their native way of 

 bathing. 



The position of the cage is no less impor- 

 tant with this than with other birds, and the 

 subject has been fully treated in a former 

 chapter. The parrot, being a tropical bird, 

 must be carefully guarded against cold, never 

 taken Into a cold room, and snugly covered 

 on cold nights, or you will hear him 



"sneeze or cough- 

 All his red and green and gold 

 Cannot fright away the cold, 



Cannot keep the winter off. 

 Ruffled feathers, rough and dim, 

 Tell Jack Frost hath bitten him." 



