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Bird- Lore 



PROPER BIRD-BOXES 



THE RIGHT KIND OF BIRU-BOX 



The time of year will soon arrive when 

 one should begin to make preparations for 

 constructing and erecting the boxes for the 

 hole-nesting birds, when they begin to 

 arrive from the South. In thousands of 

 schools this kind of work has already been 

 begun by eager children under the direc- 

 tion of earnest teachers. As yet, however, 

 there is a very hazy conception of how to 

 make a proper kind of bird-box. Last 

 spring about two hundred photographs 

 of Junior Audubon Classes were received 

 at the Association's office. In the majority 

 of the pictures the pupils were displaying 

 the bird-houses they had made — five out 

 of every six were wholly worthless for the 

 purpose for which they had been built! 

 The child's untutored conception of a bird- 

 house is very naturally that of a diminu- 

 tive human house, especially in the matter 

 of placing the door, or entrance-hole, on 

 a level with the floor. This is absolutely 



THE WRONG KIND OF BIRD-BOX 



wrong, except in a very few cases. The 

 hole should be at least six inches from the 

 floor of the box, as is shown in the "right" 

 one of the accompanying illustrations. 



The question of suitable situatfon for 

 placing bird-boxes should also be carefully 

 studied by all those who desire to provide 

 nesting-places for wild birds. 



Bearing on this point, especial attention 

 should be called to a most useful publica- 

 tion recently issued by the United States 

 Department of Agriculture (Farmers' 

 Bulletin No. 609) entitled "Bird Houses 

 and How to Build Them," and written by 

 Ned Dearborn, of the Biological Survey. 

 The pamphlet contains many suggestions, 

 drawings, and specifications for construct- 

 ing bird-houses. Every teacher of a bird- 

 study class should possess one, and it may 

 be procured by writing to Henry \V. Hen- 

 shaw. Chief of the Biological Survey, 

 Washington, D. C. 



JUNIOR AUDUBON CLASSES 



The organization of Junior Audubon 

 Classes continues to make rapid gains. 

 The number of children who have paid 

 ices, and been enrolled as Junior Members 

 during the present school-year to January 

 I, 1915, shows an increase of one hundred 

 per cent over the number enrolled during 

 a like period last year. This satisfactory 



growth is due in part to the increasing 

 interest in bird-study, and in part to 

 more perfect business arrangements for 

 handling the subject. 



The following comparative statement 

 for the two years will be of interest to 

 those who have watched the rapid develop- 

 ment of this phase of the Association's work. 



