PROVIDE DRINKING AND BATHING FOUNTAINS 43 



rows drink from an open spring. During the cold 

 weather of February, 1899, a flock of evening grosbeaks 

 remained for weeks near an open place of the Minnesota 

 River. I saw the birds feed on the box-elder seeds 

 several times, but never saw them drink. On March 

 4th, 1899, I saw through the window about eight feet 

 from the point of observation, a small flock of those 

 birds eat the wet, thawing snow in a sunny corner on 

 the roof of my house. This was about 8:30 in the 

 morning, when the snow on the ground was not at all 

 thawing. The nearest open water was about two miles 

 away. Frequently I have observed house sparrows 

 bathing in snow water whose temperature was just 

 above freezing. 



All animals must have water, unless they find enough 

 of it in their food. Flesh-eating and insect-eating 

 birds may find enough of it in their food, seed-eaters 

 may fly some distance to find it or they may strip the 

 dew off the grass ; in the winter, they drink at springs 

 or at other open places, or eat snow, but there can be 

 little doubt that they prefer water to snow. 



Construction of the Bathing and Drinking Basin. The 

 best bathing and drinking place is a bank of sand or 

 gravel to which the water is supplied by a spring or 

 running stream. It should have a sloping bottom, 

 making the water from ^ to 3 inches deep. It should 

 be close to shrubs and trees, thus affording ready shelter 

 against birds of prey, but there should be no hiding 

 place for cats near by. 



Where such natural basins cannot be furnished, dis- 



