As they wandered on, they came to a brown hut, which : 
attracted their attention by several swinging shelves on 
which lay scraps of food. One shelf hung beside an open 
window and another was close to a nny back porch on which 
a meal was being placed. 
The boys saw a brown flash of wings as a bird slipped | 
through long seed tassels of spirea, and jumped upon one of 
the four ropes by which the shelf near the table was support- _ 
ed. While they stood watching, it gave a very good imitation 
of a tight rope performance, as it helped itself to a bread- _ 
crumb luncheon, finally sliding down to the level sunshine ~ 
on the board, giving them a good chance to see it was 
another Rusty Song Sparrow. 
| A lady’s hand reached out of the window to put some 
bird seed on the shelf, and when the owner saw the boys, 
she came out to speak to them. She proved to be a bird 
lover, who had spent her vacations for many years attract- __ a 
ing the birds to her acre, which she called “Bird Refuge.” _ 
- Finding the boys were interested, she took them out 
into a tangled back yard where, near a log in a thicket of 
madrona, spirea, and syringa, was a bird bath. She showed — 
them how it had been made by a friend and herself from 
the sand, pebbles, and cobblestones of the beach mixed with - 
Portland cement. A number of stones projected above the - 
- inner surface so that birds of different sizes could take their 
choice as to the depth at which they drank or splashed. 
The lady told them many stories of the visitors to this - 
pool. “In spite of the salt water all about, there are few — 
creeks or springs near, and birds are more attracted to this _ | 
secluded nook than they are to the food which I always have 
on the bird tables. Sometimes, they almost seem to wait in 
line to get a chance to get into the water. I have seen occa- _ 
sionally as many as six birds, three different kinds, taking a 
bath together, while twenty other birds were hanging by _ 
their toes on the oo apparently urging the bathers 
to ance fae 
