PGRibee Leib ue bree EEN a: 
Karly one morning a Flicker and Red-headed Woodpecker arrived 
on opposite sides of the rim and drank eagerly. Their reflection in the 
water made a bright bit of color. The Flickers are constant visitors 
bringing their offspring with them. On July 26 when the thermometer 
registered 120 degrees on the sunny porch they were omnipresent with 
beaks ajar as they panted in the heat. Brown Thrashers were at first 
frightened by the gaping mouths. Soon they sensed that the Flickers 
were not anti-social and all fluttered and bathed harmoniously with 
Robins and Sparrows. This was the largest number of species regis- 
tered at one time. 
The Brown Thrashers drop to the ground on leaving the bath and 
run rapidly among the plants, preening their feathers as they depart. 
Catbirds enjoy the water. Their very active tails are most con- 
Spicuous as they make their ablutions. 
A devoted pair of Goldfinches announce their arrival with inquisi- 
tive notes and wave like flight. They perch on opposite sides of the 
fountain and drink daintily. The sunflowers near by are only in 
blossom but they often stop to investigate the source where Mother 
Nature is manufacturing delicious dainties. 
Whole Blue Jay families arrive with a war whoop and usurp the 
spa. They drink and bathe lustily then fly to a slippery elm where 
they may have had their nursery this season. 
In all the heat the Song Sparrow breaks into song and visits the 
pool for refreshment. His dainty attire and good behavior are in sharp 
contrast to the uncouth demeanor of his English relatives. 
Starlings abound in the thicket across the street but rarely do they 
come to drink or bathe. 
Cowbirds come quietly and assert the “peck right” over the other 
species. They pounce violently upon their smaller neighbors which 
may have devotedly raised their young. 
Kingbirds arrive with tyrannical call. Their unique peck at the 
water is a drink. A sudden dash in the deepest part of the bath as they 
hover above it and a hasty retreat from the garden is their modus 
operandi of a bath whether old or young. 
The Yellow-billed Cuckoo eyes the pool suspiciously from the perch 
on the hawthorn or peach tree but has not been observed imbibing. 
During the fall migration a Redstart came accidentally upon the 
bird bath. It jumped eagerly into the deepest part of the pool and 
created a veritable water volcano. It simply revelled in it. It hopped 
upon the rim, and, loathe to leave it, repeated its vigorous ablutions. 
Again it prepared to leave and then hurriedly returned for a third 
bath. An observer conjectured that bathing facilities must have been 
lacking in Redstart’s summer quarters. 
It would be difficult to say whether the feathered or unfeathered 
bipeds got the more pleasure from the bath. 
ESTHER A. CRAIGMILE, River Forest. 
