NESTING-HOUSES 



39 



that the young birds may not suffer too much 

 from the rays of the hot sun. It should be so 

 constructed that the young birds may not be 

 readily crowded out of the nest, and so become 

 the prey of cats. Such a catastrophe may be 

 guarded against by having a shelf or piazza ex- 

 tending round the house be- 

 neath each tier of doorways, 

 and constructing a railing 

 at least three inches high 

 around the platform. Each 

 of these platforms should 

 have a slight downward pitch, 

 to carry off the rain and pre- 

 vent it from driving into 

 the doorways below. There 

 should be no brackets be- 

 neath the box, for they afford 

 the cat a foothold. Many 

 other designs will suggest 

 themselves. A barrel might 

 be covered and roofed with bark and the railings 

 made of twigs. In fitting up the rooms, a square 

 box should first be made to go up the centre of 

 the barrel. All the rooms will be backed by this, 

 and the pole will go into it. Rooms may be fitted 

 into the barrel by merely fastening cigar or other 

 boxes back of each hole. The pole may be made 



BARREL HOUSE FOR 



MARTINS 

 (Designed by E. H. Forbush) 



