ATTRACTING BIRDS AROUND THE HOME 231 



these sides are nailed to the front and back, a space of -J- inch 

 is left at the top for ventilation. For the roof use a piece 

 9 inches long, so that it will project well out over the en- 

 trance. This roof should be fastened at the back with 

 hinges and in front with a clasp. The entrance hole should 

 be one and a half inches in diameter and should be bored 

 in the front (the lo-inch board) 2 inches from the top. No 

 perch should be provided. 



The reasons for building the house this way are these. 

 The purpose of having the long axis vertical, of having the 

 hole near the top, and of having the overhanging roof, is to 

 protect the young birds from cats. Cats climb up to boxes 

 and try to claw out the young birds by reaching down 

 through the hole. In this type of house, it is almost im- 

 possible for a cat to reach down to the young birds. More- 

 over, this style of house prevents the young from leaving 

 the house till they are well matured, and better able to 

 care for themselves and to escape such enemies as cats and 

 squirrels. If the hole is too low down, the young birds may 

 fall out before they are old enough to leave the nest. The 

 house should be made with a movable roof, so that each 

 spring all the material in the house may be cleaned out, and 

 in case English sparrows begin to use the house, their eggs 

 may be removed. The perch is omitted because the native 

 birds do not need it, and it furnishes an opportunity for the 

 English sparrow to stand and fight the birds that are using 

 the house, even when the hole is too small for the sparrow 

 to enter. 



House wren. The house wren will use a great variety of 

 boxes. The entrance should be i inch in diameter. A very 

 satisfactory house can be made from an old tomato can. 

 In the open end is fastened a circular piece of wood with an 

 opening of i inch in the upper third. The author kept one 

 of these houses in his yard for four successive seasons, during 

 which time five broods of wrens were reared in it. 



