THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS. 393 
or painted tin is best, for birds seem suspicious of bright 
surfaces. There should be a few nail holes in the lower side, 
to allow the escape of any water that may drive in. 
A large funnel may be nailed to a piece of board, and the 
board fastened on the side of the barn; or the funnel itself 
may be fastened to the building. This may be used by a 
Wren or a Chickadee. (See Plate XLVII, Fig. 5.) Anold 
coffee pot may be set upon a post, or fastened to a bracket 
which may be set against the side of a building. Milk cans, 
lard pails, flower pots, teakettles, and many other utensils 
may be utilized, and fastened up in various ways to trees or 
buildings; and, although they may not be ornate, the birds 
will find them useful. There should be no projection or limb 
immediately beneath a nesting box, to give cat or Crow a 
foothold from which to reach into the nest ; but it is always 
better to have a small limb or stick, as a perch, within a few 
feet, to serve as a rest for the parent birds. Small wooden 
boxes, such as may be found at the stores, if not over six by 
eight by fifteen inches, may be used. Those who have time 
and lumber to spare may make bird houses of any shape to 
suit their tastes; but a few suggestions as to construction 
and situation will not be out of place. 
If one wishes to accommodate only a certain species of 
bird, the entrance to the nesting box should be made so small 
that no larger bird can enter. Boxes made on this principle 
for small birds will protect the eggs and young from Crows 
and Jays. A round hole one and one-fourth inches in di- 
ameter will do for either Wrens or Chickadees ; but a Wren 
can use a smaller opening, just the size of a silver twenty-five- 
cent piece, and such a doorway is small enough to keep out 
“English” Sparrows. The Chickadee can use a one and one- 
eighth inch hole, but some will not be content with one less 
than one and one-fourth inches in diameter. Bluebirds and 
Tree Swallows can pass through a one and one-half inch aper- 
ture. This is usually large enough, and will keep out Jays. 
The two-inch hole usually recommended is too large, for it 
will admit both Martins and squirrels. These entrances may 
be round, square, or oblong. If made oblong, the measure- 
ments given should be used horizontally, the vertical diame- 
