to the nests as shown in Fig. 1 1 . Perches attached to nesting boxes are quite un- 

 necessary, and if placed near the entrance hole will encourage sparrows. 



The most natural and durable boxes used almost entirely in Europe and largely 

 in the United States, are made of a section of a branch or tree. These are about 

 six inches in diameter and from one to two feet in length, with the bark on as shown 

 in the cut Fig. 1 and 2. These pieces of timber are hollowed out by machinery 



---- } 



Fig. 4. 



with an expanding cutter, but they can be made by splitting a straight grained block 

 and gouging out the hollow in both halves and then joining them with screws. The 

 size of the box and the height of the entrance hole above the floor will depend upon 

 the birds for which the box is intended as shown in the table below. Flickers, Wood- 

 peckers, Bluebirds, Chicadees, and several other birds prefer these boxes to any 

 other, and as they can usually be purchased for fifty cents or less, they are much 

 in favour. 



-4 



( _O _ 



O 



to 



6" 



Pig. 5. 



Of compartment nesting boxes such as would be occupied by the purple martin 

 we would recommend one in the form of an inverted cone resting in a rough frame- 

 work erected on a pole as shown in Fig. 3. 



Smaller boxes for Bluebirds, Wrens, etc., can be made cheaply in all shapes and 

 sizes, either of bark or waste slabs covered with bark. A very effective box is made 

 of half or the whole circle of bark taken from a limb or trunk of a tree and roofed 



