17 



manner, but in the woods protection is hopeless, and hole- 

 nesting birds, with the exception of chickadees, will rarely 



fexfc 



Q fROMT 



00 



Top 



BOTTo^^ 

 6X.8 



Fig. 23. — Swallow box, supposed to be cat-proof, and details of construction. 



nest there. Boxes placed on poles set up in a pond or on a 



small island bring good results. 



Poles need not be more than 6 or 8 feet in length, 

 except for martins, and may be very slim, made from 

 a young pine or cedar or any other sapling. They 

 may be screwed to fence posts with lag screws (large 

 screws with square heads; see Fig. 24 and Plate VII., 

 Fig. 2) so that they may be taken down in the fall and 

 stored away until spring. Where there are no fences, 

 posts may be set in the ground and the poles fastened 

 to them. Boxes put up on the walls or ridgepoles of 



buildings often attract birds if the trees are not near enough 



to allow squirrels to reach them, and if cats cannot get at 



them. (See Plate VIII.) 



({ = ■«•> 



(j =: >»» 



Fig. 24. 



How TO ATTRACT THE BiRDS. 



If nesting boxes are set up in accordance with the foregoing 

 directions, English sparrows disposed of, and nests safeguarded 

 against cats and squirrels, some of the boxes are sure to be 

 occupied by birds, provided there is a sufficient diversity of 

 vegetation in the neighborhood to furnish them with a variety 

 of insect food and wild fruit, and unless they are too much 

 disturbed by the noisy activity of their human, feline or canine 

 neighbors. We cannot expect many birds to be attracted to a 

 city yard where there is neither grass, trees, water nor shrub- 

 bery. They always appreciate a near supply of water. If 



