168 BOMBAY DUCKS 
issue peremptory orders for the removal of the unsightly 
tub. But, even while I shouted for the bearer, a myna 
alighted upon the rim of the bath (which was nearly 
full of water) and then proceeded to take a header into 
the liquid element ! 
I had never seen a myna do anything like this before, 
so a struggle took place within me between the naturalist 
and the artist; needless to say, the former prevailed. 
The bath was allowed to remain and disfigure the garden, 
In a few days it had become the recognized bathing 
place and drinking fountain of the birds of the vicinity. 
The crows ruled the roost. When they came to 
bathe, all the other birds had to make way for them; 
for, in the feathered world, the strong invariably take 
precedence. Now crows, notwithstanding all their 
bravado, are not courageous birds. Nothing will in- 
duce one of their corv¢ to plunge into water beyond 
his depth. When it is a matter of bathing in one or 
two inches of water the crow is as bold as the famous 
Baltic Fleet. He will strut valiantly into the midst of 
the shallow pool, flutter his wings, and even duck his 
head in the water. But when it comes to a galvanized 
iron bath, in which the water may be eighteen inches 
deep, the crow behaves very differently. I never saw a 
crow brave enough to trust himself to the abyss of my 
bath. 
The modus operandi of the bather was to take a firm 
grasp of the rim of the bath with both feet. He would 
then, still gripping for dear life, plunge his head and 
neck into the water and agitate them violently, and, at 
the same time, flap his wings and wag his tail. By 
