Notes from Field and Study 



93 



have successfully used it on my more recent 

 houses. 



The removable floor can be used on any 

 single-story bird-house regardless of the 

 number of rooms, but it is more practical for 

 the one-room type. The house is constructed 

 in the same manner as any bird-house, save 

 that no floor is built into it, and about one- 

 half inch from the bottom four holes, two 

 on each side and directly opposite each other, 

 are bored; these are to receive light wire 

 which is run through them and cut off, 

 leaving an inch or two protruding on each 



save much unnecessary trouble. — Fred J. 

 Pierce, Winthrop, Iowa. 



The Herring Qulls 



One afternoon in April, when the sunshine 

 was warm and the great out-of-doors was 

 inviting, a trip was made to the lake shore to 

 photograph the Gulls. They were there as 

 usual; some were sitting on the ground like 

 sentinels; others in smaller groups were 

 overhauling the refuse of the city's waste; 

 others again, were flying and sending out 





HhRKJ.\t; CiLLLS 

 Photographed by Thos. A. Taper 



side of the house. The floor, which is made 

 to fit snugly, but not tightly inside the 

 bottom, rests on these two wires, and when 

 they are bent over on the outside, the floor is 

 held strongly in place. Two cleats, nailed above 

 the floor on the inside, will hold it in place 

 from above, but this is hardly necessary. 



It will be readily seen, that, by simply 

 bending the wires straight and pulling them 

 out of their holes, the floor will drop out and 

 with it the contents of the box. This can be 

 easily accomplished without the trouble of 

 removing the house from the tree, and as a 

 pair of pliers is the only tool required, I 

 believe that the adoption of this plan would 



their cries through the clear cool air; the 

 remaining ones were farther away, near a 

 break in the ice in the lake. 



I first attempted to get a picture by 

 approaching quietly, but this resulted only 

 in a general rise of assembly and an alighting 

 some feet distant. 



The next afternoon, the same place was 

 visited, and the Gulls were there as usual. 

 The camera was set near a brush-fire, which 

 was dying out. Some pieces of bread were 

 thrown a few feet away from it, and the 

 Gulls soon came from all directions. The 

 first arrivals settled down near the smoldering 

 embers of a discarded Christmas tree; others 



