Nesting- Boxes 



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 this danger may be 

 partially guarded against by having a little plat- 

 form around each story, and a railing not less 

 than three or four inches in height around the 

 platform. 



The shape and size of the bird-boxes must be 

 regulated by the size 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 likely to be 

 occupied by Bluebirds, Chickadees and Wrens, than are the square boxes 

 or bird-houses, especially if they are raised high in the air on poles. 



While the exact size of the box is rather immaterial, the size of the 

 entrance hole is most important. This should be. just large enough to 

 admit the desired tenant, and small enough to keep out all larger birds. 

 A diameter of one and seven -eighths of an inch will do for Wrens, 

 one and one-fourth inches for Chickadees, one and one-half inches for 

 Bluebirds or Swallows, two and one-half inches for Martins, and three and 

 one-half inches for Flickers and Screech Owls. By observing this simple rule 

 about the size of the doorway, it sometimes is possible to have several 

 species nesting amicably within a small area. 



Martins, breeding as they do in large communities, are particularly sub- 

 ject to parasites and other adverse influences. Nearly all the Martins in 

 Massachusetts seem to have succumbed to the cold rain -storms of June, 1903. 

 They were then decimated throughout most of southern New England. It 

 seems probable that the only hope of their soon recovering their foothold 

 there lies in putting up more Martin boxes and thoroughly cleaning out 

 those now filled with dead Martins or with English Sparrows' nests. In a 



TREE SWALLOWS BOX 



