PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION OF BIRDS 145 



though, of course, not as many kinds of birds will visit there 

 as in less public places. 



One very pleasant memory of my boyhood is that of the 

 bird houses near my home. I waited eagerly in the spring 

 for the bluebird that, year after year, built in one of the 

 houses, and for the purple martins that dwelt sociably in a 

 multiple cot. 



Suggest to the school children the building of bird houses 

 early in spring. This is a good exercise in manual training. 

 Birds prefer a house made of weather-beaten boards to one 

 freshly painted in bright colors. If you paint the house at 

 aU, paint it a dull color. Almost any sort of box, about 

 8x8x10 inches will do. In one end cut a hole about two 

 inches in diameter for the entrance, and fasten in front of the 

 opening a perch or a platform for the bird to alight on. 

 For the house wren the opening should be made in the box 

 near the top, and it should not be more than an inch in 

 diameter. This allows the wren to enter, but not the spar- 

 row. Sparrows are a nuisance in many ways, but chiefly be- 

 cause they drive away other birds. They begin to nest earlier 

 than most other birds, and often pre-empt the houses designed 

 for martins and bluebirds. Keep the boxes closed till the 

 right birds arrive. Bird houses may be fastened to the walls 

 of buildings, on the gables of bams and sheds, or attached 

 to trees. Some birds, like the wren and the bluebird, prefer 

 to have the house shaded from the mid-day sun. Houses 

 may be placed upon poles, especially for the martin. Rustic 

 houses may be made by hollowing out a block of firewood, or 

 by nailing bark or small saplings on the outside of a board 

 house. 



In this connection encourage boys to keep doves and 



