Bird Lovers as Landlords 201 



for their nests, one cannot expect great success 

 that season; but some of the birds which, like 

 the bluebird, rear two broods, may use the 

 boxes for the second brood, and in any case the 

 birds will become accustomed to the presence of 

 the boxes and will be more likely to make use of 

 them next year. To obtain the very best re- 

 sults in the spring, the boxes should be in place 

 the autumn before. There are several reasons 

 for this. In the first place, many of the birds 

 which nest in holes, use holes to sleep in during 

 the winter, and birds which become used to 

 sleeping in the nest boxes will be very apt to use 

 similar boxes as nesting sites in the following 

 spring. In the second place, if they are hung 

 before the leaves fall, one can see exactly what 

 he is doing and avoid hanging the boxes in places 

 v/hich are too shady, whereas if the work is left 

 until spring, they may be hung in places which 

 seem open enough while the trees are bare but 

 which will have too much shade when the leaves 

 come out again. Then, if boxes are hung in the 

 fall, they are sure to be out early enough in the 

 spring. Otherwise the work is apt to be left 

 until the birds begin to come back, which is too 

 late for the very best results. Some birds seem 

 to select their nesting holes very early, though 

 they may not begin to build until later. 



