A BI-MONTHLY MAQAZINE 



DEVOTED TO THE STUDY AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS 



OrriciAL Oroan or thi Audubon SooiCTiim 



Vol. XI January— February, 1909 No. 1 



M 



The Hollow Tree 



By ERNEST THOMPSON SETON 



OST naturalists realize at once that a hollow tree in some sort is essen- 

 tial to the existence of about one-tifth of our birds and one-fourth of 

 our beasts; that, therefore, the disappearance of our old forest trees 

 combined with the well-meant but zoologically mischievous efforts of the modern 

 tree-surgeon is actually threatening to exterminate many of our most highly 

 l^rized creatures of the woods. 



Since I came into possession of Wyndygoul Park, nine years ago, many 

 old, hollow trees there have fallen in ruins, without anv others in sight to promise 

 an asylum for the tenants. 



One day the sinister form of a tree-surgeon appeared at the gates, and, un- 

 blushingly, he offered for a consideration to complete the work of extermination. 

 After I had got rid of him and carefully removed all the telltale traces of the affair', 

 I realized that it was m\' bounden dut\- to supplv the wood creatures with some 

 adequate hollow trees. Of course, I could offer, and had for long been supplying 

 nesting-boxes, which increased experience taught me to make more and more 

 like natural limbs and knot-holes. But these were for individuals of small species; 

 the}' were mere shanties of refuge. I was now ambitious to build a veritable 

 cathedral — or rather a modern apartment house; a sky scraper; a city in itself. 



I began by selecting an island (since I preferred birds and bats to beasts) and 

 on that reared six forty-foot telegraph poles so as to enclose a seven-foot circle 

 at the bottom and three-foot circle at the to]). Each pole was braced four ways 

 with heavy chestnut timbers, then the structure buried seven feet dee]) in stone- 

 work, and finally covered in with slabs, on which the bark was carefull\- saved. 

 A good roof, a series of ladders and stories inside, with man}- nesting-boxes open- 

 ing outside, completed the tree. 



The advantages of this structure over manv scattered boxes are : First, ior ob- 

 servation — I can watch from peep-holes the behavior of every occupant with 

 little trouble and without my presence being suspected. 



Second: I have absolute control. I can remove an obnoxious red squirrel or 

 rat, and I can easily suppress the curse of box-nesters — the insect vermin. A 



