250 Birds of Oregon and Washington 



over wide, open, and exposed spaces to their 

 nests. 



Some tin nailed around the pole which holds 

 the bird-houses will prevent cats from climbing 

 to the nests, or barbed wire may be bound about 

 tree or pole for about a foot or two, having the 

 barbs as thick as possible. If put upon a grow- 

 ing tree, a strip of wood should be nailed on 

 either side of the tree-trunk. These strips make 

 the wire elastic, and save the cutting of the 

 bark. 



Never try to clean out the. boxes between 

 seasons. Leave this to the birds. 



The first condition for bringing many species 

 of song-birds to us is that there must be trees 

 and shrubs about our homes. If there are not, 

 we must grow them. Two or three trees in a 

 yard, dead or partially dead, are necessary to 

 some species of birds. To save offense to the 

 eye, the dead tree may be covered with Virginia 

 creeper or some other rapidly growing vine. 

 Some evergreens, spruce, pine and cedar, are of 

 advantage ; and a variety of deciduous trees, 

 some of which have thick foliage, are a part of 



