CHAPTER LVL 



NESTING BOXES* 



Edward Howe Forbush 



Illustrated by the Author. 



There is no better way to attract and protect several 

 species of useful birds than to put up nesting-boxes. Every 

 family, rich or poor, that lives in the coun- 

 try, can provide them. Old worn or waste 

 materials may be used if others cannot be 

 procured ; for the birds seem to prefer 

 weather-beaten lumber or rusty metal to 

 that which is new, bright or painted. 



Among my early recollections there 

 comes to mind an old, unpainted, weather- 

 beaten New England farmhouse, the home 

 of a poor farmer with many children. It 

 stood in the shade of a giant elm by the 

 roadside, and high up the rugged trunk of 

 the old tree another home, a box made of 

 ancient shingles weather-stained and moss- 

 grown, was occupied by a family of blue- 

 birds. I noted every detail of their airy castle, and on return- 

 ing home secured four old shingles and a piece of board from 



The Shingle Boa 



* From Bird-Lore, the official organ of the Audubon Societies. This is an illustrated 

 magazine devoted to the study and protection of birds. Published at 66 Fifth Avenue, 

 New York City. 



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