. Department circular. Agriculture. 12 ing birds than anything else. Water will attract birds not only in summer but also in winter, and some people even go so far as to heat water for the birds in inclement weather, an atten- tion which their feathered friends seem to appreciate. If a generous supply of water can be provided in summer it may be the means of saving much juicy fruit that otherwise would be eaten by birds. Bird Baths and Drinking Fountains. No one who has not maintained a bird bath can have any realization of its attractiveness. Drinking and bathing places for the birds are used
. Department circular. Agriculture. 12 ing birds than anything else. Water will attract birds not only in summer but also in winter, and some people even go so far as to heat water for the birds in inclement weather, an atten- tion which their feathered friends seem to appreciate. If a generous supply of water can be provided in summer it may be the means of saving much juicy fruit that otherwise would be eaten by birds. Bird Baths and Drinking Fountains. No one who has not maintained a bird bath can have any realization of its attractiveness. Drinking and bathing places for the birds are used mainly in summer. The difficulties of maintaining them in winter are manifest. The covers of earthenware jars, inverted and filled, will make excellent bird baths, as each has a low rim for a perch and the depth of the water is graduated. A milk pan set on a post high enough to be out of reach of cats, and filled with fresh water daily, or oftener if nec- essary, will make an excellent bird bath if a shelving stone be placed in it so that the depth of water over it will vary from one-half inch to 3 inches. A hollow in a bowlder will answer the same purpose, if the water be swept out often and the hollow refilled. Where running water is available a pipe may be carried from the house down through the cellar and under- ground to a standard in a flower bed on which a shallow pan (Fig. 7) may be used as a receptacle for the water. Water may be turned into the pan at any time from the tap or faucet in the house, and the water running over the rim will serve to water the plants below. There should be a vent on the pipe in the cellar through which the water may be drained off in autumn before the ground freezes. In some cases a hose is used for filling the pan. Sometimes where there is no running. <##?â ' Fig. 6. â A pan of water, and one of mud for the use of birds in nest build- Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digita
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