3i6 



Birds of Buzzard's Roost 



Tree Swallow's Box 



seemed to be cat-proof was devised for blue-birds. It was 

 very deep with an overhanging cover or roof, no perch, and 



the entrance hole well up under the 

 eaves. This makes it difficult, if 

 not impossible, for the cat to hang 

 on and reach the nest. The young 

 birds find it rather hard to get out 

 of such a box at first. They have to 

 make many attempts, and when 

 they finally escape they are quite 

 strong and less likely to be caught 

 by cats than they would be if reared 

 in a box from which they could 

 get out before they were fully 

 fledged. 



The ordinary small bird-house 

 that is put up for martins or tree 



swallows must be set on a tall, slim pole, to give the birds a 

 degree of immunity from the cat. These birds usually seem 

 to prefer a house elevated from fifteen to thirty feet from the 

 ground on such a pole. Ordinarily, the entrance holes are 

 made too near the bottom or floor, and the young birds, being 

 nearly on a level with the doorway, are 

 sometimes pushed out or fall out in their 

 eagerness for food, and so become the 

 prey of the prowling cat. 



In building martin boxes their danger 

 may be partially guarded against by 



having a little platform around each 

 story, and a railing not less than three 

 or four inches in height around the plat- 

 form. 



The shape and size of the bird-boxes 

 must be regulated by the sizes and habits 

 of the birds for which they are intended. 

 It is better to have them comfortably 

 large than too small, for this gives the 



birds more room and air. In my experience, when birds have 

 their choice, the long, deep boxes placed rather low are more 



Box with Sliding 

 Cover 



