248 PROPAGATION OF WILD BIRDS 



made of irregular shape, and various ferns, vines, plants, 

 and trees planted near gave it an air of seclusion and woodsi- 

 ness evidently appreciated, as the first season sparrows, 

 warblers, vireos, grackles, jays, robins, kingbirds, catbirds, 

 thrashers, orioles, grosbeaks, chickadees, nuthatches, wax- 

 wings, humming-birds, and owls visited it. The pool was 

 planned to give a background of ferns, tall growth at the 

 head, a tree for perching at the foot, low growth on the 

 houseside, and vines on the outer edges. The dimensions 

 are 5 by 3 feet in widest part, 5 inches deep through the 

 centre, and shelving to irregular border, with stones pro- 

 jecting into it at intervals. Grackles and jays do most 

 of their bathing in the deep portions, and flickers invariably 

 wade out into the centre and march across the 5 -inches-deep 

 spaces. 



Much Frequented. Some idea of the extent to which the 

 pool is used may be gained from the following instances. 

 One morning in August, between nine and ten, twenty-four 

 baths were counted, by five species of birds. One afternoon, 

 about two o'clock, five grackles, five blue-jays, four flickers, 

 four orioles, two robins, and a sparrow were in the water or 

 on the rocks about the edge at the same time. A nuthatch 

 was calling from the trees nearby, and during the carnival 

 a humming-bird perched on a branch over the pool and 

 watched the sport. 



Certainly there can be no question but that a pool with 

 natural surroundings is better than a dish, and would be 

 more readily recognized by birds as offering what they 



wanted. 



c. Suppression oj Enemies 



Importance. No matter how attractive to birds a place 

 may be, or how much is done for them, the presence of 

 destructive enemies, particularly if abundant, will minimize 



