No. 4.] REPORT OF hTATE FORESTER. 541 



home. The bkiebird box will suffice for the nuthatch, and that 

 of the chickadee for the wren. 



Pine lumber seven-eighths of an inch in thickness, planed 

 on one side only, is good material to use in the construction of 

 these boxes. The rough side of the board should form the 

 inside of the box. Stain the outside, only, a neutral tint of 

 brown or gray. The entrance hole in each instance is circular, 

 and should be cut with an extension bit, which is easily set for 

 the varying size of entrance. Cut the entrance on an upward 

 slant, rather than at direct right angle with the surface. This 

 prevents the rain from driving in, and also simulates the door- 

 way of the woodpecker architect, whose work we are copying. 

 The roof should project an inch and a half in front, but be 

 flush with the sides and back. The top should be removable, 

 so that at the end of the season, after the departure of the 

 birds, the box may be cleaned and any egg clusters of moths 

 that are sometimes deposited there destroyed. 



Each nesting box should have a layer of coarse, dry sawdust 

 to the depth of 2 inches placed in the bottom. This is an 

 important detail and should not be overlooked, especially in 

 the box designed for the flicker. 



Nesting boxes may be fastened to the trunk of a tree, or one 

 of its large branches, care being taken that no intervening 

 branches will prevent an easy ingress and exit by the occupants 

 of the box. x\bout the borders of fenced land boxes may be 

 fastened to the tops of light poles, 12 feet in length, and these 

 poles may then be fastened to posts in the fence, using lag 

 screws or heavy wire spikes for the purpose. Tree swallows 

 and bluebirds will tenant these boxes and gather their food 

 from the insect hosts of field and orchard. 



Do not place the boxes too near one another. Birds of the 

 same species are apt to dispute ownership, so let a space of at 

 least 200 feet intervene between the boxes. 



Bird boxes should be placed at a height of not less than 8 

 or more than 20 feet above the ground. Boxes for the chicka- 

 dee and house wren may be placed at the first-mentioned 

 height, but for all others a height of at least 15 feet is better. 



Bird boxes should have the entrance face the south or south- 

 west, thus preventing the beating in of rain during violent, 



