390 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Frank J. Dutcher, park commissioner of Hopedale, reports 

 that the park department, having a large tract under its care, 

 much of which was wooded, put up in trees a goodly number of 

 nesting boxes of the von Berlepsch style, and that hardly one 

 was occupied by birds, but nearly all were taken by red, gray 

 and flying squirrels. In many other such cases the result has 

 been the same. In such a case the increase of squirrels se- 

 curely established in the boxes might do much to reduce the 

 number of small birds, as individual squirrels of most species 

 destroy the eggs and young and even kill adult birds when they 

 can catch them. 



Nesting boxes should be put up by some one with experience 

 in such matters, if j)ossible. They should be placed on isolated 

 shade or fruit trees that can be banded with a wide strip of 

 zinc placed at least four feet from the ground to prevent cats, 

 rats, mice and squirrels from climbing them, or put up on short 

 poles fastened on fences in open fields or projecting above the 

 tops of fruit trees. Nesting boxes on poles in the open are not 

 so attractive to predatory animals as are those on the tree 

 trunks. As a matter of esthetics the nests may be protected by 

 growing thorny vines around the poles. 



Before the middle of May, about 75 inexpensive nesting 

 boxes were placed on and near my own farm. This was rather 

 late in the season. Nevertheless, many were occupied by birds. 

 Those placed in trees, in the woods, or near the edge of the 

 woods were not taken by birds, except one which was occupied 

 by a family of flickers. I caught a gray squirrel going into 

 this box when the young were nearly grown. My camera was 

 ready, and the bang of the focal plane shutter served the de- 

 sirable double purpose of securing his photograph in the act 

 and frightening him away. 



No nesting box put on a building was occupied by birds, pos- 

 sibly because squirrels were common in the woods near by and 

 frequently ran over the buildings. Many of the boxes on poles 

 were taken by birds ; also three boxes situated on trees in the 

 open. These trees, with one exception, had been well trimmed 

 so that their trunks resembled poles. William P. Wharton of 

 Groton had a similar experience. He had a number of nesting 

 boxes of various patterns in trees a few of which were occupied,. 



