The Arizona champion., 1891-02-21
TOILETS OF ANIMALS.
Sand and Water Baths for
 Beasts and Birds.
PARTICULAR WITH THEIR APPEARANCE.
Methods of Some of the Birds.-A Fall
 cons Bath.

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 all ducks and divers. Mud serves for
 cold cream and vaseline; dust for fuler's
 earth and pearl powder, and water, as with us, is perhaps the most important necessary. But birds especially 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. Par tridges are good example of the dusting birds, and are most careful in the selec- tion of their dust baths. Dry loam suits them best.
 But perhaps their favorite place is meadow where few turfs have been re moved There they scratch out the loam, and shuttle backward 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 morn ing. 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 passing so A1zo1r, +rD prefer a shower bath to any other; and in heavy rain they may be seen opening their feathers and allowing the rain to soak in, after which they dress the whole surface with oil from the reser- voir which we mentioned above. Swal- lows and martins are as nice in their choice of bath water as any ''profeS- sional 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 evaporate.
 A FALCONS BATH.
 We have never seen hawks or falcons bathing when wild. Trained birds in good health bathe almost daily, and the bath of a peregrine falcon is very care ful 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, af- ter more suspicious glances, she thrusts her broad head under the water and filings it on her back, at the same time raising the feathers and letting the drops thoroughly soak them. .I
 After bathing head and back she spreads her 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, she flies once more to the block, and 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 trem- ulous motion imparted to every quill, ! looking more like an old ccrmorant on 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 opos- sums. The lions and tigers wash them selves 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.
 CLEANLINESS OF A DOG.
 One of the most charming pets we have kept, and the most particular as to washing and brushing it's feet and fur, was lovely brown opossum from Tas- mania. "Sooty phalangist' was, we be- heve, its scientific name. It was GOV cred with deep rich brown fur, had a face something like fox, pink nose, hands with a nailless thumb, and long claws on the fingers. It washed it's feet every two or three minutes.
 Water rats are very clean animals, and wash and brush their faces ''like Christians" We saw one on a pond at Yelling, in Kent, swim out to pick up the blossoms of an acacia tree which were falling on the water. After daintily eating each flower on the bank he licked his hands, wiped his mus taches and swam off 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 T.. z I, ,l< trace of mud or dirt next morning. Most of their toilet is done with the tongue, but they are very clever at us- ing thick box bush or the side of a haystack as a rough towel. One small spaniel which we allowed to i've in the house was well aware that if he returned dirty he would not bo admitted 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 off home and pre- sent himself neat and clean in the din ing room. One day the dog had been left at home, and his master returned and seated himself, wet and with half frozen drops of ice sticking to his gaiters, by the fire. Pan ran up and carefully licked off the frozen ice and snow, stop ping every now and then to give an anx- ious look, which said as plainly as pos sible, Dear me, if don't get him clean quickly he will be sent to lie in the stable. ."-Spectator.
 The number of children who have de- cayed teeth, and in many cases a part of the first set gone and the second set hadlu hrnlra1n dnr,-1n iS too o,ron+