right from a reputable builder of these houses. There are in this 

 country at least three manufacturers who furnish houses complete 

 with pole, and whose advertisements appear in the columns of 

 magazines devoted to birds and the out-of-doors. However should 

 one wish to attempt the construction of a domicile for Martins, 

 he will find that a light (weight) oak barrel, with entrances 

 properly cut, and compartments fitted inside, the top finished with 

 a conical-shaped roof and the whole affair neatly painted, makes 

 both a practical, and an artistic house. Each room should be at 

 least six inches or more square, and seven or eight inches high, 

 with the entrance two and one half inches in diameter. The en- 

 trance may be either circular in form, or shaped like an inverted 

 U. The lower edge of the entrance should be made flush with 

 the floor of the apartment, thus facilitating the removal of old 

 nesting-material and a thorough cleaning of each apartment at the 

 end of the season. One may use his individual taste in adding 

 perches at the entrances, or in making a little balcony completely 

 around the house, two inches below the edge of the entrances, on 

 each tier of apartments. This house should be mounted on a pole 

 twenty feet from the ground. Heavy galvanized pipe makes an 

 ideal material for this purpose, the pipe being run through the 

 centre of the barrel, where it may be securely bolted, and the ground 

 end firmly imbedded in a barrel of cement sunk level with the sur- 

 face of the lawn. Given a coat of enamel paint, this pole is proof 

 against the claws of any felines who may seek to go aloft in quest 

 of the feathered tenants or their progeny. 



While the Purple Martin is courageous and will give chase to 

 any species of Hawk venturing near its home, it seems to be 

 unable to successfully cope with the English Sparrow. This 

 undesirable bird will, unless rigorous methods of extermination 

 are used, pre-empt the Martin houses and destroy both their 

 eggs and young. There is nothing quite as exasperating to the 

 bird-lover, as the sight of a crowd of Sparrow gamins sitting at 

 the entrances of the Martin houses, and yelling notes of derision 

 at the rightful owners. The English Sparrow is a canny bird, 

 and will desert a neighborhood for several months after having been 

 shot at a few times. Use a shot-gun of small bore persistently 



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