12 



ing birds than anything else. Water will attract birds not only 

 in summer but also in winter, and some people even go so far 

 as to heat water for the birds in inclement weather, an atten- 

 tion which their feathered friends seem to appreciate. If a 

 generous supply of water can be provided in summer it may be 

 the means of saving much juicy fruit that otherwise would be 

 eaten by birds. 



Bird Baths and Drinking Fountains. 



No one who has not maintained a bird bath can have any 

 realization of its attractiveness. Drinking and bathing places 

 for the birds are used mainly in summer. The difficulties 

 of maintaining them in winter are manifest. The covers 

 of earthenware jars, inverted and filled, will make excellent 

 bird baths, as each has a low rim for a perch and the depth 



of the water is graduated. A 



milk pan set on a post high 



enough to be out of reach of 



cats, and filled with fresh 



water daily, or oftener if nec- 

 essary, will make an excellent 



bird bath if a shelving stone 



be placed in it so that the depth 



of water over it will vary from 



one-half inch to 3 inches. A 



hollow in a bowlder will answer 



the same purpose, if the water 



be swept out often and the 



hollow refilled. Where running 



water is available a pipe may 

 be carried from the house down through the cellar and under- 

 ground to a standard in a flower bed on which a shallow pan 

 (Fig. 7) may be used as a receptacle for the water. Water may 

 be turned into the pan at any time from the tap or faucet in 

 the house, and the water running over the rim will serve to 

 water the plants below. There should be a vent on the pipe in 

 the cellar through which the water may be drained off in 

 autumn before the ground freezes. In some cases a hose is 

 used for filling the pan. Sometimes where there is no running 



<##?■' 



Fig. 6. — A pan 

 of water, and 

 one of mud for 

 the use of birds 

 in nest build- 

 ing. 



Fig. 7. — Bird 

 baths. Upper of 

 concrete or pot- 

 tery; lower of 

 metal. (After 

 Biological Sur- 

 vey.) 



