No. 4.] BIRD HOUSES AND NESTING BOXES. 195 



inches in diameter. The boxes were made in summer, as the 

 bark will not usually peel freely much earlier than June 20, and 

 then only for a short time. When the tree had been cut down, 

 the trunk was sawed into sections each from 10 to 18 inches 

 long, according to the size of the boxes desired. 

 Only straight sections, free from knots or branches, 

 were used. A limb of the right size, however, may, 

 when cut off, leave a hole in the bark that can be 

 utilized as an entrance for the birds. 



These domiciles may be made as follows: an 

 incision is made on the side intended for the back 

 of the box, through both outer and inner bark, 

 from the top to the bottom of each section; then, 

 on the opposite side, some two or three inches fig. 3. —Chestnut 

 from the top, there is bored through the bark, with 

 an auger or extension bit, a hole of the size desired for the 

 entrance. If such tools are not at hand the aperture may be cut 

 with a gouge, a chisel or even a knife. Next, a wedge-shaped 

 stick is inserted into the incision at the back and under the 

 inner bark, to start it off, and with this implement it is peeled 

 very carefully. In peeling birch one should be careful not to 

 separate the inner and outer layers of the bark. 

 Caution should be used when working about knots 

 or rough places. The bark will make the sides of 

 the box and two sections, each an inch thick, sawed 

 from the ends of the barked log, will make the top 

 and bottom. Now the bark is tacked to the bottom 

 and top. The bark will draw apart somewhat at the 

 back in drying, but this aperture may be covered, 

 when the box is put up, by nailing or screwing a 

 Fig. 4.— Birch- short stick or polc ovcr the opening on the back, 

 Dark box. ^Jijch stick in turn may be nailed or screwed to the 

 supporting tree, building or pole. To make the roof watertight, 

 a piece of cotton cloth, duck or denim may be put on, tacked 

 down over the edge and painted, or a piece of roofing paper 

 may be used. A more permanent covering may be made by 

 using a piece of tin or zinc, as shown in the figure of the chest- 

 nut bark box (Fig. 3). To make the expected nest accessible 

 to examination, the top of the bark sides might be fastened to 



