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BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



we are to be suited. Therefore in building a nesting box it is well 

 to inquire first what kind of a home the bird naturally chooses. 



As the hollow trunk or limb, or the abandoned woodpecker's 

 nest, is the usual domicile chosen by the hole-nesting birds, it 

 is natural to conclude that they will prefer something closely 

 resembling nature's accommodations. For this pur- 

 pose a section of a tree, containing an old nest of 

 a woodpecker may be taken, or hollow limbs, pruned 

 from apple or other trees, may be sawed into sec- 

 tions about a foot in length, the lower end of each 

 plugged, and the upper end covered with an over- 

 hanging piece of board sloping to the front. A 

 hole may be bored in the front of this contrivance 

 for an entrance, and a piece of board may be 

 Fig. 1. - Hollow nailed on the back (Fig. 1), so that the box when 

 finished may be nailed up to a tree, post or pole. 

 The hollow of the limb should not be less than 3j to 4 inches 

 in diameter at the bottom, and 6 to 8 inches in depth below 

 the entrance. The deeper the box and the higher the hole 

 under the overhang of the roof, the less chance there will be 

 for cats, jays and the other larger enemies of birds to reach the 

 eggs or young. Perches are not necessary. Some birds like 

 them, but they give the enemies of the birds the advantage 

 of a better foothold. 



Neat boxes may be made of slabs with the bark on (Fig. 

 2), but all bark left on bird houses should be firmly nailed 

 on, as otherwise it will come off sooner or 

 later. In "Bird-Lore" for January-February, 

 1905, I described the method of making bark 

 boxes, but at that time they were untried. 

 They have since had nine seasons' trial, with 

 very satisfactory results. To Mr. William 

 Brewster belongs the credit of their inven- 

 tion, and I have made a considerable number 

 after his design. White birch and chestnut were used, as it was 

 believed that the bark of these trees would be most durable, 

 but Mr. Brewster suggests that elm bark is probably best 

 of all.^ Those portions of the trunks used were from 4 to 8 



1 The bark of the common gray or so-called "white" birch is not very durable, but that of the 

 northern white or canoe birch is more satisfactory. 



Fig. 2. — Slab box. 



