THE BIRD DEPARTMENT 



147 



The species reported as 

 having used covered 

 shelves, opened at the 

 sides, are robin, phoebe, 

 and barn swallow. 



HOW TO MAKE THE BIRD 

 HOUSE 



To begin with, the word 

 "house" is a misnomer, 

 for the less houselike the 

 bird box, the more prac- 

 tical will it prove. The 

 fanciful doll houses with 

 several compartments, 

 chimneys, frescoes and ve- 

 randas, while occasionally 

 used by English sparrows 

 or martins, are usually 

 \erv ineffective, and, of 

 course, entirely out of 

 place. The more it is like 

 the old hollow limb in the 

 orchard or the hole in the 

 fence post, the more pleas- 

 ing to the eye of the bird 

 will it be. 



The best materials to select in building bird houses 

 are weathered boards, rustic cedar, or slabs of wood with 

 the bark adhering. Smoothly planed boards should be 

 avoided. Gourds, when obtainable, can be made very ac- 

 ceptable by cutting a hole of the proper size in one side, 

 cleaning them out and drilling a small hole in the bottom 

 to drain off any rain that may beat in. Tin cans may be 

 used, but should be painted or covered with bark to 

 make them less unsightly. One end should be replaced 

 by a block of wood and the opening of the proper size 

 should be made toward one edge of this or in one side 

 of the can. Green bark of chestnut or other trees can 

 sometimes be secured and nailed into the form of a 

 hollow cylinder. A hollow limb, a deserted woodpecker's 



CHICKADEE AT ITS NEST 



The home of this little fellow is in a hole in a stub. The chickadees 

 will use nesting bo.xes, when they are properly built, and it is a wise 

 tree-owner who puts up at least one nesting box for every tree he 

 cuts down. Now that dead trees and branches are cut, the birds have 

 no easy time finding natural homes in dead or dying trees. 



nest, or a block of wood 

 hollowed out in the form 

 of a woodpecker's nest are 

 all good devices, but usu- 

 ally it is easier to cut 

 rough boards into the 

 proper lengths and nail 

 them together securely in 

 the form of a small box. 

 Sometimes boxes of the 

 proper size, such as chalk 

 or starch boxes, can be 

 found ready made and re- 

 quire only some reinforce- 

 ment. 



The exact size of the 

 box is not very important 

 except that it should not 

 be so large as to waste 

 lumber, nor yet so small 

 as to give insufficient room 

 for the nest. A box should 

 never be smaller than 

 33/2 X 3J/2 X 6 inches, inside 

 measurements, and it 

 would be better to make 

 it somewhat larger even for wrens. One putting 

 up bird boxes for the first time would do well to make 

 them of average size so that they will be acceptable to 

 the greatest variety of birds. In this way the chances of 

 attracting them are increased. Such a box would measure 



5 X 5 .X 12 inches with the long a.xis vertical. If special 

 eft'ort is to be made to attract flickers, streech owls or 

 sparrow hawks, boxes 63^ x 6^ x 24 inches should be 

 made. If martins are desired a house of 10 to 30 com- 

 partments should be constructed with each compartment 



6 to 8 inches square. Rows of gourds tied to cross pieces 

 and raised on poles will likewise attract martins and are 

 extensively used in the South. If one wishes to build a 

 large martin house, explicit directions can be obtained 

 from Farmers' Hulletin No. 609, of the U. S. Department 



BIRD HOUSES OF LOGS 



These are manufactured by the Audubon Bird House Com- 

 pany, of Meriden, N. H'., by hollowing out sections of logs. 

 The largest size is for flickers and screech owls, the small- 

 est for wrens, the intermediates for chickadees, nuthatches, 

 bluebirds, tree swallows, and downy woodpeckers. 



INCORRECTLY BUILT 



A MARTIN HOUSE 

 This is occupied by 

 many pairs of these 

 swallows. Each com- 

 partment is from five 

 to eight inches square 

 and the openings 



about 254 inches in diameter. Martin houses are the only ones which should 

 be built with more than one compartment with the openings near the floor. 



These bird houses are not properly constructed. In 

 one the opening is at the bottom instead of two 

 inches from the top; in the other the opening 

 is much too large. 



