Nesting- Boxes 9 



the domestic economj' of a pair of Bluebirds. It is a simple affair with one 

 side rabbeted for a pane of glass, and a door which shuts over the glass. The 

 door is kept closed most of the time until the young are hatched. It can 

 then be kept open as much as seems desirable, to observe the habits of the 

 birds through the glass; but it must be arranged so that the sun will not 

 shine in it, as that might be fatal to the young birds. The box shown in 

 the cut is mounted on a short board projecting from my window-sill. The 

 door is hinged at the bottom by a piece of leather, and opens toward the 

 window. It has been occupied for three seasons by Chickadees, and any one 



OBSERVATION BOX, CLOSED 



OBSERVATION BOX, OPEN 



sitting at the open window can watch the young birds as they are fed, note 

 their growth and development, the character and amount of their food, the 

 nest -cleaning and all their household afifairs. The old birds were first at- 

 tracted to the windows by feeding them there. Then they found the box 

 a good place for shelter, and finally nested in it. They are good neighbors, 

 attending to their own business and. as unpaid laborers in our fruit trees 

 and woodland, their work of clearing insects from the premises is of the 

 utmost value. 



