ORNITHOLOGY 



145 



Last winter I devoted considerable 

 time to the manufacture of bird houses. 

 My carpentry was not above reproach, 

 but after a little practice 1 was able to 

 turn out a rain-proof, cat-proof box 

 with the minimum of labor and ex- 



YOUNG BLUEBIRDS IN A BOX ON A POST IN 

 THE VINEYARD. 



pense. Five shingles, an old board five 

 -or six inches long, and some lath nails, 

 were the only materials needed for each 

 box. In addition, I collected any suit- 

 able tin cans ; carbide cans, varnish 

 cans, and syrup cans were desirable. 

 During February a circular saw was in 

 operation near my home, and I had a 

 hollow limb from an old apple tree 

 cut into eight sections, each about a 

 foot in length. On each one I fitted a 

 top and bottom (the former was rain- 

 tight, but could easily be removed) and 

 cut entrance holes with a coping saw. 

 Before winter was over I had a motley 

 collection of about forty shingle boxes, 

 tin cans, and hollow limbs, and I then 



proceeded to fasten them up in the 

 orchards and shade trees of the estate. 

 "Them boxes will be fine for the 

 sparrers to nest in !" an old farmer sar- 

 castically remarked. "There won't a 

 bluebird come near 'em." But I had 

 already provided for the sparrows. 

 With poisoned wheat and a .22 rifle 

 I had destroyed more than a hundred 

 of these pests, and only a few remained 

 in the vicinity. 



HOUSE TO LET ! 

 NO SPARROWS NEED APPLY. 



This sign was not actually put on 

 each nesting place, but the bluebirds 

 needed no invitation to occupy, and the 

 few surviving sparrows always kept 

 at a respectful distance ; no doubt the 

 wary fellows believed that each box 

 and can and hollow limb was another 

 of my diabolical contrivances for their 

 destruction. So the bluebirds were 

 left to choose their homes in peace. 

 How eager and delighted they were ! 

 Like their human prototypes searching 

 for a "flat" they hurry from box to box. 

 trying to decide which is best. The 

 handsome male perches near by, sing- 

 ing joyously, while his mate explores 

 the prospective nesting site; presently 

 she flies out with delighted cries, and 

 he takes her place inside. After due 

 deliberation, their home is selected, and 

 the female brings in nesting material. 

 Usually she merely weaves a lining of 

 fine grass, but in one box I found 

 about two quarts of tightly compressed 

 material, including the following varied 

 articles: black horsehairs, feathers, 

 leaves, straw, hay, twigs, fine brown 

 hairs, rootlets, weed stems, cherry 

 stems, maple seeds or samaras, bark 

 from cedar beanpoles, cord, and pine 

 needles ! The first nests were com- 

 menced April 4, and the last youngling 

 of the last brood flew out August 8. 

 During the three months inclusive 

 forty-seven young bluebirds were suc- 

 cessfully reared on the estate (all in 

 the artificial nesting-places), while the 

 year before only nine or ten had been 

 raised. This is certainly a gratifying 

 increase. 



But bluebirds were not my only 

 tenants. April 11 a pair of starlings 



