OCR Text |
Show THE TOILET OF BIRDS. rreulUrltUe ol Fentharct! Creature Regarding Re-garding Their Hath. The feathered tribes havo many peculiar pe-culiar ways and fancies about the details de-tails of tholr toilets. Somo birds use water only, some water and dust, while others prefer dust nnd no water. Birds nro not only exceedingly nice in their cholco of bath water, says New York Homo, but nlso very particular about tho quality of tholr "toilet dust." Wild ducks, though feeding by salt water, prefer to bathe In fresh water pools, and will fly long distances inland in-land to running brooks and ponds, nrhcro they preen and dress thou-feathers thou-feathers In tho early hours of the morning. Sparrows batho often, both In water and in dust. Thoy are not so particular nbout the quality of the water as nbout tho quality of tho dust. Thoy prefer clean wnter, but I have ocen them take a dip In shallow pools that were quite muddy. Tho city sparrow spar-row must take a water bath whero he can r?ct It - In tho street or on the' tops or I Hisco but ho is most careful in hi , cholco of hln dust bath. Iload duat, the dry est and finest possible, suits him best. I havo noticed tho city sparrow taking his dust bath In the street nnd Invariably he chooses a placo whero tho dust is Ulto powder. Partridges profor dry loam. Thoy like to scratch out tho soil from under tho grass and fill tholr feathers with cool earth. Most birds are fond of burnt nshes. Some morning early take a walk across a fluid that has been bnrnt oTer nnd sco the number of winged creatures that rise suddenly from tho nsh heaps. A darting form, o small cloud of ashes and the bathers disappear, |