^eet i§oi J^otes 



From St. Louis, Mo. 



Since Bird-Lore is to have a Bird-House 

 number, I think, as an old hand in the use 

 of bird-boxes, I should contribute a few 

 hints in regard to them. 



1. A simple and effective way of keeping 

 the English Sparrow out of a Bluebird's box 

 is to put it up not higher than eight to ten 

 feet from the ground. Bluebirds like this 

 situation, prefer it even to a higher one, 

 but no English Sparrow cares for such a 

 box, — it is not nearly safe enough for him, 

 and though one may, exceptionally, try to 

 take possession of it, he is easily discouraged 

 when he sees that anybody can reach it 

 from a chair. 



2. The Martins like their houses higher 

 up, at least sixteen to eighteen feet from the 

 ground. My advice is to put each box on 

 a separate 2x4 pine wood scantling, this 

 to be fastened near the ground by two 

 bolts to a 3x4 cedar post, — this cedar 

 post to be six feet long, half in the ground, 

 half out of it. Two wires reaching from 

 near the box down to some Hxed objects 

 keep the box from swinging too much in 

 a strong wind. The great advantage of 

 this arrangement is that anybody can, by 

 simply taking out one of the two bolts, 

 easily lower the box to the ground in order 

 to remove the Sparrow's nests which other- 

 wise could only be reached by the risky and 

 troublesome use of a long ladder. The 

 reason why one box is better than two or 

 more on the same pole, is because it is very 

 probable that after one pair of Martins has 

 begun building, Sparrows will take posses- 

 sion of the other boxes, and by our interfer- 

 ence we should seriously disturb the Martins, 

 already building or laying. 



Martins' boxes should be at least 8x8 

 inches inside and six inches high, with a 

 double roof, one parallel with the floor 

 to keep the box closed and dark, the other 

 slanting and projecting several inches over 

 the three- inch-wide porch in front of the 



entrance. This second roof is important, 

 as without it the heat in the box becomes 

 so intense that the young ones suffer greatly 

 and are likely to leave the box, fall to the 

 ground and are lost, since no Martin feeds 

 its young on the ground. The entrance 

 should not be larger than 2x2 inches, flush 

 with the floor and porch. The roof should 

 be on hinges, to allow easy removal of the 

 contents of the box, if necessary. 



3. I would also say to those who put up 

 bird -houses of any kind to keep a watchful 



ARTIFICIAL HOLLOW LIMB FUR A WOOD- 

 DUCK'S NEST 

 Made by Ernest Thompson Seton, on his place at 

 Cos Cobs, Conn., of wire-netting covered with cement 

 modeled to resemble bark. 



eye on the House Wren. He is as great 

 a nuisance as the English Sparrow. He 

 enters bird homes in the absence of the 

 owner, ruins their nests, pierces and throws 

 out eggs and can do enough mischief in 

 one season to threaten the existence of a 

 whole colony of Martins. Nor are his 



(17) 



