Popular Science Monthly 



759 



of winter, to which the weather has im- 

 parted the grayness of age so pleasing to 

 the eye. 



Mrs. Bluebird always starts house- 

 keeping by making a mat of grasses ^^i -^ 

 on the floor of her house. For the 

 eggs, a depression is made back 

 against the rear wall, appar- 

 ently to keep the young as 

 far away as possible from 

 the paws of marauding 

 squirrels or cats. She ar- 



ranges the position of the eggs so that 

 during the fourteen days of brooding she 

 can watch for danger, and at the same time 

 relieve her monotony by observing the 

 doings of the outside world. 



Different birds require different kinds of 

 houses. The best material is wood. Al- 

 most any sort of lumber may be used, but 

 birds take most readily to that which has 

 been weathered outdoors. White pine and 

 cypress are easy to handle, and do not warp 

 or check. It is often desirable to leave the 

 bark on the outside. 

 Entrance holes 

 should be counter- 

 sunk from the out- 

 side. Sloping the 

 floor, or boring a 

 small hole in the 

 middledirectly under 

 the nest, provides 

 drainage. 



A coat of paint of 

 a mild green or gray 

 shade is desirable. 

 If the house is placed 

 conspicuously, it 



A chickadcL :. ;_^ observing his in- 

 crease in weight after a Christmas dinner 



may be painted white or some light shade. 

 AH houses must be easy to open for clean- 

 ing. Each spring, before the birds return 

 from the South, all filth and litter 

 hould be flushed out with the 

 garden hose. A little sulphur 

 scattered about a house is an 

 effective remedy for unde- 

 sirable parasites. 



Proper ventilation can 

 be obtained by means of 

 a row of small holes bored 

 just beneath the eaves. 

 Never have a ventilat- 

 ing hole lower than 

 the entrance, since 

 / this gives rise to drafts. 

 / There is no wedding 



' gift so acceptable to a 

 young bird couple as a 

 drinking fountain and 

 bath. It is hard to realize 

 the difficulty^ often experi- 

 iced by birds in obtaining 

 water. A refreshing drink 

 and splash in a shady retreat 

 is the bird's greatest delight. 

 But mind that you do not 

 choose a spot near dense 

 shrubbery or other objects 

 behind which prowling cats 

 may hide waiting to spring on 

 the unsuspecting bathers. 



The receptacle may be merely a shallow 

 tray of wood or metal, but it should always 

 be inconspicuous in color, and rough enough 

 about the edges to afford a firm foothold. 

 It must be shallow to prevent drowning. 

 Cement and stone basins, mounted on 

 pedestals, are pleasing additions to the 

 lawn and are obtainable throughout the 

 country'. However, a low flaring crock, a 

 galvanized pan, or a hollow log, seems to 

 please the birds just as well. 



Birds must be pro- 

 tected from their 

 enemies. It is easy 

 enough to keep cats, 

 squirrels, mice and 

 rats away by a piece 

 of tin encircling the 

 tree. It is also well 

 to isolate a birdhouse 

 on a length of iron 

 piping. Ants and 

 other vermin, can be 

 kept out by sticky 

 flypaper maHe of 

 resin and castor oil. 



Mr. Nuthatch en- 

 tering h i s open- 

 air dining-room 



At left: A rustic 

 house for six fami- 

 lies of martins 



