NESTING-HOUSES 



39 



that the young birds may not suffer too much 



from the rays of the hot sun. It should be so 



constructed that the young birds may not be 



readily crowded out of the nest, and so become 



the prey of cats. Such a catastrophe may be 



guarded against by having a shelf or piazza ex- 



tending round the house be- 



neath each tier of doorways, 



and constructing a railing 



at least three inches high 



around the platform. Each 



of these platforms should 



have a slight downward pitch, 



to carry off the rain and pre- 



vent it from driving into 



the doorways below. There 



should be no brackets be- 



neath the box, for they afford 



the cat a foothold. Many 



other designs will suggest 



themselves. A barrel might 



be covered and roofed with bark and the railings 



made of twigs. In fitting up the rooms, a square 



box should first be made to go up the centre of 



the barrel. All the rooms will be backed by this, 



and the pole will go into it. Rooms may be fitted 



into the barrel by merely fastening cigar or other 



boxes back of each hole. The pole may be made 



BARREL HOUSE FOR 

 MARTINS 



(Designed by E. H. Forbuah) 



