86 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



not need and never used, and that the sparrows had increased 

 1>000 per cent, in a year, benevolence toward the sparrow 

 ceased to be a virtue. In 1914 we had one sparrow's nest in 

 one of our boxes. On May 26, 1915, there were found in the 

 25 boxes on poles 10 swallows' nests, 10 English sparrows' and 

 2 bluebirds'. In. the 50 boxes on trees there were only 2 

 flickers', 2 chickadees', 2 squirrels' and 2 wasps' nests. 



The young escaped from one English sparrow's nest, but we 

 destroyed all the eggs or young in the others, and not another 

 sparrow's egg was laid in them during the season, but a new 

 nest was built later and we destroyed the eggs. Those who 

 do not wish to kill the sparrows may find that removal of the 

 eggs twice a month, after the full clutch has been laid, will 

 give satisfactory results. If the sparrows do not lay again the 

 nests may be removed. This seems to be more effective than 

 removing the nests at once, when the sparrows often will build 

 again and again. Having disposed of the sparrows we soon 

 had swallows and bluebirds in their place. A census taken 

 July 4 revealed in the 25 boxes on poles 20 occupied swallows' 

 nests, 3 bluebirds' and 1 sparrow's. Those in the trees re- 

 mained as before. Six young swallows died in the nest, 4 were 

 killed by English sparrows, and the rest got out safely, so far 

 as we know. The number produced was about 90. Three 

 families of bluebirds were reared. One nest was robbed, ap- 

 parently by boys, and a second brood was reared in another 

 box. 



The eggs in one flicker's nest were taken, probably by a 

 squirrel or a snake, and one of the young died in another nest. 



The account of young birds raised in these boxes in 1915 

 runs as follows : — 



Bluebirds, 14 



Chickadees, 13 



Flickers, 9 



Swallows, 90 



126 



These 126 birds were raised on an area of about 8 acres 

 where prior to 1914 not one bird of any of these species was 

 reared or could have been reared, for there were no nesting 



