Tombstone daily prospector., 1890-12-26
r ANIMALS. TOILETS.
sand Baths and Water Baths for Bird,
 and Reastz.

ried in a small and handy reservoir by all ducks and divers. Mud serves for cold cream and yaseline; dust for fuller's earth and pearl powder, and water, as with us, is perhaps the most important necessary. But birds espe- cially says the London Spectator, are mighty particular about the quality of their 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.
 Partridges are a good example of the dusting birds. and are most careful in the selection of their dust baths. Dry losm suits them best. But perhaps their fayorite place is a meadow where a few turfs have been removed. There they scratch out the loam, and shuffle back wards under the grass roots till their feathers are full of the cool earth In
 wet weather they find, if possible, a 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 l 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 seem to prefer a shower bath to any l 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 bathe,
 it is generally by some shallow pool in
 the road which an hours sun will eyap- crate.
 We have never seen hawks or falcons
 bathing when wild. Trained birds, in
 good health, bathe 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 thrusts her broad head under the water 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 l wings and tail fan-like on the water, | and rapidly opens and shuts them, after
 which she stoops down and splashes the
 drops in every direction. The bath over, l she flies once more to the block, and l turning her back to the sun, spreads every feather of the wing and tail,
 raises those on the body, and assists the process of drying by tremulous motion
 imparted to every quill, looking more like an old cormorant on a buoy than a l 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 l of the fore foot and the inner toe, and passing it over the face and behind the 1 ears. The foot is thus at the same time
 a face sponge and brush, and the rough
 tongue combs the rest of the body. flares also use their feet to wash their faces, and the hare's foot is so suitable
 for brush that it is always used to ap- 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 its feet and fur, was a | lovely, brown opossum from Tasmania.
 "Sooty phalangist," was, we believe, its l 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. IL washed its feet every two or three minutes. Water rats are very clean animals and wash and brush their faces like Christians" We saw
 one this summer on pond at Yelling, I in Kent, swim out to pick up the blos- sOms of an acacia tree which were falling on the water. After daintily 7
 eating each flower on the bank he
 licked his hands, wiped his mustaches
 and swan of for another. We also
 tried an acacia blossom, but except a
 slightly sweet flavor, could find noth- ing to account for the rats taste for
 them. Sporting dogs which are used in
 mud, snow and wet. are strangely clever
 and quick in cleaning and drying their coats, and it is a sure sign that a dog has been over-tired if he shows any
 trace of mud or dirt next morning.
 Most of their toilet is done with the tongue, but they are very clever at
 using thick box bush or the side of 8
 hsystack as rough towel One small
 spaniel which we allowed to live in the
 house was well aware that if he re-
 turned dirty he would not be admit
 ted indoors About an hour before the
 close of the days shooting he used to
 strike work and begin to clean himself;
 and if urged to do more, would slip of
 home and present himself neat and clean in the dining-roon. One day the dog had been left at home, and his