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felled without regard to the fact that the holes it contains serve as 

 shelters and nesting-places for the most faithful friend of the agriculturist 

 and the forester. Man, who nowadays cares only for what is of practical 

 use, is short-sighted enough to grudge the old, decayed trees the little 

 space on which they stand. In the woods, as well as in the orchards, he 

 frequently lays too much stress on the utilitarian principle, but un- 

 fortunately in the wrong direction.* 



As, in consequence, the natural nesting-places of the breeders in holes 

 became more and more rare, it had long been a problem how the de- 

 ficiency could be supplied, but unfortunately the problem was not very 

 successfully solved. We have no space to describe in detail the many 

 experiments and failures which took place in the course of time in the 

 matter of nesting-boxes. There could be no question of genuine success, 

 simply because the boxes were not in accordance with nature, but were 

 mere inventions. The well-known naturalist, Alfred Brehm, was 

 perfectly right when, twenty years ago, he maintained that the nesting- 

 boxes then in use were totally unsuitable. 



(B) Origin of the Berlepsch Nesting-boxes. 



As a boy of fifteen, Baron von Berlepsch had already noted in his diary 

 that the nesting-boxes then in use served no purpose, and that the 

 only chance of success lay in the boxes being made to imitate Nature, 

 so that the birds should settle in them as they would in natural 

 cavities. 



Twenty years later he succeeded in his attempt. After years of 

 observation he established the fact that the nesting-holes which the 

 birds preferred were deserted or uninhabited woodpecker holes. This 

 led him to conceive the idea of continuing the work of the woodpecker 

 by the hand of man, that is to say, of making close imitations of the 

 woodpecker holes which, unlike the existing nesting-boxes, should be 

 no mere inventions, but exact copies of Nature. 



He made use of every opportunity of carefully examining woodpecker 

 holes, though his work was often attended with considerable difficulty, 



* Fortunately, a change for the better has lately taken place in Germany in 

 this respect. The Government officials have already recognised the fact, and 

 have ordered that the old trees shall be left standing in the crown woods. It is 

 to be hoped that the good example of the State may be followed by local 

 authorities as well as by private proprietors. A very beneficial influence can be 

 exercised by the ranger in this matter. 



