Some Bluebird Boxes and Troubles. 121 



SOME BLUEBIRD BOXES AND TROUBLES. 



BY FRANK BRUEN. 



The writer saw a statement somewhere, that Bluebirds 

 would build in a swinging box, but the English Sparrow 

 would not. Thinking this statement important, if true, and 

 wishing to see the Bluebirds more plentiful about town, he 

 determined to test the matter by putting up a swinging box 

 in his back yard. 



A box of ordinary boards was made (some eight inches 

 cube) and suspended from an arm nailed to the clothes 

 pole, that being the nearest approach to a tree back of 

 the brick block. The arm was 4 or 5 feet long and shaved 

 to a sharp edge on top as a defense against the numerous cats 

 thereabouts. The hole, an inch and a half in diameter, was 

 placed well towards the top, and a wire nail below the hole 

 made a good perch. 



I made no record of the date the box was placed, but 

 know it was in March when the Bluebirds came in force. 

 A reference to my note book gives March 14th as the first 

 day any considerable number were seen — two weeks after 

 the first arrivals. 



A pair of Bluebirds found the box in a day or two and 

 tried to get in, seeming to care little for the swinging 

 motion. It was soon plain that the hole was too small (it 

 had been made one and a fourth inch first) so this was 

 enlarged to one and a half inch strong, the Bluebirds find- 

 ing no trouble then to enter. 



They were in no hurry to begin active operations, but 

 inspected the box very often and staid near by for perhaps 

 a week, before begining to build. Then the English 

 Sparrows began to be interested in the box and would carry 

 in stuff when the Bluebirds were out of sight. The Blue- 

 birds worked some now and drove the Sparrows away when- 

 ever they saw them. The Sparrows were very persevering, 

 however, and worked every chance they had. 



