142 Song Birds. 



refilled with water, making it quite respectable for 

 our little friends to wash in. 



6. They rush in sometimes four or five together, to 

 splash in the clean water like a little shoal of fishes. 

 They go paddling about, lifting up their feet very high 

 for each step, and making so much noise in setting them 

 down again, that any one would fancy that they were 

 web -footed, and holding up their tails so carefully out 

 of the water, like so many Jenny Wrens, as if to be 

 draggle-tailed was ignominious among birds ; sitting 

 at the water's edge shaking ; shaking so quickly that 

 one cannot see how they do it ; and then hopping in 

 again : and they will go in the same way each time. 

 I watched one the other day ; she took ten dips after I 

 began counting ; and each time she flew to one par- 

 ticular spot about three or four steps off, and took the 

 same series of short stages before she hopped in finally. 

 Sometimes a number bathe at the same time ; and 

 sometimes timid ones stand at the edge and let the 

 others splash them, and call that washing: and then 

 again they wait and go in by turns. I hardly know 

 which way is most amusing. One day when the bath 

 was shallow I saw one bird lie down in it and turn over 

 to bathe the other side when the first was done ; that 

 was a brown Linnet, and brown Linnets certainly do 

 delight in water. 



7. I can hardly venture to recommend so bold a 

 plan ; but I let my own birds bathe when they like in 



