142 Bird - Lore 



Bathe in wet foliage either from showers, heavy dew, or 'sprinklers': Black-chinned Hummer, 

 Anna's Hummer, Rufous Hummer, Allen's Hummer, Cassin's Vireo, Hutton's Vireo, War- 

 bling Vireo, Least Vireo, Bush-Tit (sometimes at least forty in one bush), Western Chipping 

 Sparrow, Western Lark Sparrow, Spurred Towhee, Pallid Wren-Tit. 



BIRD-BATH NOTES 



BIRD-BATH AND DRINKING-POOL FOR 25 CENTS 

 The writer has just finished a good, practical concrete bird-bath and drinking 

 pool, 24 X 54 inches, and about 4 inches deep in the center, at a total cost of 

 25 cents, this being the cost of 25 pounds of cement. A shady spot at the 

 edge of the lawn opposite our kitchen window was selected for the site, and a 

 rectangular patch of sod of above dimensions was removed and excavation 

 was made, beginning with a depth of about 5 inches in the center and gradu- 

 ally sloping up to all sides, leaving a smooth concave hollow of firm soil. About 

 one-half wheelbarrow full of fine gravel, which had been left over from a 

 neighboring building job, was hauled home in our car. The gravel and cement 

 were mixed together in an old dry-goods box and enough water added to 

 thoroughly moisten the mixture to a rather stiff consistency. This was then 

 shovelled into the hollow and worked over with the shovel to an average 

 thickness of about 2 inches, finishing the inner surface nice and smooth and 

 leaving the rim trimmed off squarely and flush with the surrounding lawn. 

 It holds about five gallons of water; the edge of the water is shallow, gradually 

 deepening toward the center and thus affords a drinking-place and bath for 

 birds of all sizes. The water can be freshened or replenished through the 

 garden hose as often as desired. While this arrangement is not as ornate as 

 the manufactured article, it looks well, is practical and the low cost should 

 make its use common. The whole operation took only an hour's time, and 

 when we say that this was the first concreting job we ever attempted it can 

 readily be seen that almost anyone can undertake it. To attract birds to 

 your home it is necessary to provide water, as there must be times when birds 

 have trouble in finding convenient watering-places, and we hope that other 

 bird-lovers will provide similar inexpensive watering-places on their premises. — 

 Edward Hellstern, Fort Morgan, Colo., July i, 192 1. 



TWO UNUSUAL CHICKADEE BATHS 



The notes on bird-baths in the May- June, 192 1 number of Bird-Lore recall 

 two Chickadee baths which the writer saw some years ago. 



The first was in the early spring of 1903 at Greenland, N, H. The Winni- 

 cut River was swollen by melted snow and covered with cakes of floating ice. 

 One cake drifted slowly past in an eddy. Just as it came near, one of a flock 

 of Chickadees flew to the cake and hopped to the edge. There he splashed and 

 spattered the ice-cold water, dressing his feathers between splashes. He was 

 still enjoying his bath when the ice-cake drifted out of sight. 



