46 METHODS OF ATTRACTING BIRDS 



The author has been very successful with house 

 wrens by using an old tomato-can. An empty 

 can was placed upon a hot stove, with the cut 

 end down, till the solder melted, and then the 

 rest of the cover was knocked off with a poker. 

 A circular piece of wood from a half-inch board 

 was cut out so as to fit into the can. A one-inch 

 hole was bored into the circle a little above the 

 centre, and then the board was fastened in place 

 by driving tacks through the tin. Nails were 

 driven obliquely through the rear of the can into 

 a strip of wood, by means of which the house 

 was fastened in the desired position ; or the 

 can may be suspended by means of wire placed 

 around it. In one can of this sort, made by the 

 author, there were successfully reared, in four suc- 

 cessive seasons, five broods of house wrens, mak- 

 ing a total of from twenty-five to thirty young 

 birds. The wrens seem to be not at all particular 

 as to what they use, as long as there is a hole 

 by which to enter and a place for building the 

 nest. A large funnel may be fastened up to a 

 board. 



The house wren is one of the common house- 

 tenants, and owing to the fact that it can enter 

 a smaller hole than the English sparrow, there is a 

 better opportunity of protecting it from the per- 

 secutions of this pest than there is of protecting 



