62 NESTING BOXES, ETC. 



The prowling cat, which, after having once dis- 

 covered an accessible nest containing choice morsels 

 for a meal, will not rest until he or she has encom- 

 passed their destruction ; the only real cure for this 

 hindrance seems to be the extinction of the quad- 

 ruped from our bird asylum. 



The last, and perhaps the most destructive enemy 

 to our nesting friends, is one of their own race, the 

 ubiquitous House Sparrow. Sad as it is to say 

 so, still no doubt remains that he is a determined 

 destroyer of the eggs of other small birds, and to the 

 House Martin he is an inveterate plague, taking 

 possession of its nest, and appropriating it to his 

 own use. If the nests are accessible, the sparrows 

 must be perseveringly evicted and their eggs taken 

 and destroyed from time to time, until at last they 

 give it up and allow the House Martins to rest in 

 peace. The only other remedy is either to shoot 

 or to otherwise destroy the sparrows themselves. 



