Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-12-01
ANIMALS. ToILETs.
sand Baths and water Baths for Birds
and Beasts.

all ducks and divers. Mud serves for
sold cream and vaseltne; dust for
tuller's earth and pearl powder, and
water, as with us, is perhaps the most
important necessary. But birds espe-
sally, says the London Spectator, are
mighty particular about the quality OF
their s'toilet dust" and equally nice as to
the water in which they prefer to wash,
some use water only, some water or
dust, others dust and no water.
cartridges are good example of the
busting birds, and are most careful in
the selection of their dust baths. Dry
loan suits them best. But perhaps their
favorite place is meadow where few
turfs have been removed. There they
scratch out the loan, and shuttle back
wards under the grass roots till their
feathers are full of the cool earth. In
wet weather they find, If possible,
heap of burnt ashes on the site Of
weed fire, and dust there. Sparrows, on
the contrary, always choose road dust,
the dryest and finest possible. Larks
also are fond of the road, and dust there
in the early morning. But they, too,
have their fancy, and choose the dry,
gritty part, where the horses hoofs
tread. Wild ducks, though feeding by
the salt water, prefer to wash in fresh
water pools, and will fly long distances
inland to running brooks and ponds,
where they preen and wash themselves
in the early morning. But though pass
ing SO much time on the water, ducks
i seem to prefer a shower bath to any
other; and in heavy rain they may be
seen opening their feathers and allow
ing the rain to soak in, after which they
dress the whole surface with oil from
the reservoir which we mentioned
above. Swallows and martins are as
nice in their choice of bath water as
any professional beauty nothing but
newly fallen rain water thoroughly
pleases them, and if tempted to battle.
it is generally by some shallow pool in
the road which an hours sun will evap-
crate.
We have never seen hawks or falcons
bathing when wild. Trained birds, in
good health, battle almost daily, and
the bath of peregrine falcon is a very
careful performance. But no nymph
could be more jealous of a witness than
these shy birds, and it is not until after
many careful glances in every direction
that the falcon descends from her block
and wades into the shallow bath. Then,
after more suspicious glances, she
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and filings it on to her back, at the same
time raising the feathers and letting
the drops thoroughly soak them. After
bathing head and back, she spreads her
wings and tail fan-like on the water,
and rapidly opens and shuts them, after
which size stoops down and splashes the
drops in every direction. The bath over,
she flies once more to the block, and
| k,,r, han 10 hn cr1T1 dc
every feather of the wing and tail,
raises those on the body, and assists the
process of drying by tremulous motion
Impaired to every quill, looking more
like an old cormorant on a buoy than a
peregrine.
Cats, large and small, make the most
careful toilet of any class of animal, with
the exception of some of the opossums.
The lions and tigers wash themselves in
exactly the same manner as the cat,
wetting the dark, India-rubber-like ball
of the fore foot and the inner toe, and
passing it over the face and behind the
ears. The foot is thus at the same time
face sponge and brush, and the rough
tongue combs the rest of the body.
Hares also use their feet to wash their
faces, and the hare's foot is so suitable
for brush that it is always used to APP
ply the paint to the face for the stage.
One of the most charming pets we have
kept, and the most particular as to wash
ing and brushing it's feet and fur, was a
lovely, brown opossum from Tasmania.
''Sooty phalangist," was, we believe, it's
scientific name; it was covered with
deep rich brown fur, had face some
thing like fox, a pink nose, hands
with a nailless thumb, and long claws
on the fingers. 1t washed it's feet every
two or three minutes. Water rats are
very clean animals and wash and brush
their faces ''lize Christians" We saw
one this summer on pond at Yelling
in Kent, swim out to pick up the bios
,, SONS of an acacia tree which were
falling on the water. After daintily
eating each flower on the bank he
licked his hands, wiped his mustaches
, | and swan off for another. We also
tried an acacia blossom, but except &
slightly sweet flavor, could find moth
! ing to account for the rats taste fol
them. Sporting dogs which are used il
:. mud, snow and wet, are strangely clever
and quick in cleaning and drying thei1
coats, and it is a sure sign that a dos
3 has been over-tired if he shows AM
? trace of mud or dirt next morning
! Most of their toilet is done with the
4 tongue, but they are very clever a
using thick box bush or the side of
q haystack as rough towel. One small
: spaniel which we allowed to live in thu
house was well aware that if he re
/ turned dirty he would not be admit
ted indoors. About an hour before thu
close of the days shooting he used tt
I strike work and begin to clean himself
: and if urged to do more, would slip of
; home and present himself neat ant
L clean in the dining-room. One day tn,
dog had been left at home, and hi
I master returned and seated himself
7 wet, and with half-frozen drops o
q ice sticking to his CATERS, by tn
. fire. Pan ran up and carefully licket
I off the frozen ice and snow, stopping
every now and then to give al
anxious look, which said as plainly a
EETN