SECTION II 



CAUSES FOR THE DECREASE OF SONG BIRDS 



i. Lack of Nesting Places. It is known to every 

 country boy that woodpeckers and nuthatches are the 

 carpenters of the bird world. They excavate old and 

 decaying trees and limbs, and in the holes and hollows 

 make houses for their young. Where old trees are 

 numerous, these bird carpenters build more houses than 

 they need for themselves, and the vacant or deserted 

 woodpecker homes are eagerly sought by chickadees, 

 titmice, brown creepers, wrens, and bluebirds ; each 

 bird selecting from the " To Rent " list a house which 

 in size and location suits its taste. In larger holes, 

 which probably were caused by the decay of broken 

 branches and were enlarged by woodpeckers, small owls 

 and the beautiful wood duck build their nests. 



But where can these birds nest, when there are no 

 old, hollow trees left standing ? Most of them are com- 

 pelled to leave the regions where their natural homes 

 are no longer found. A few make use of old telegraph 

 poles, old fence posts, and other substitutes. These 

 places are, however, very much exposed to cats, birds of 

 prey, thoughtless boys, and adult fool gunners. After 

 one or two seasons the linemen put in a new telegraph 

 6 



