BIRD PROTECTION 



395 



Fig. 268. — Nest of house wren in nest- 

 ing box shown in Fig. 267. (Photo, by 

 Hegner.) 



inside, with an entrance 



1 J inches in diameter on 



one side near the top, 



makes a very acceptable 



chickadee home. This 



house should be placed 



with its long diameter 



perpendicular to the earth, 



in a tree or against a 



building, about 10 feet 



from the ground. 



The chickadee in its 



natural haunts rears its 



young in the hollow of a tree. The nest is made of soft moss, 



a few feathers, and the hairs of different animals. From six 



to ten eggs are laid — pure white with a reddish tint, and 



spotted with red- 

 dish brown at the 

 larger end. 



Chickadees are 

 with us the entire 

 year. Their nests 

 are built about the 

 first of May, and 

 two broods may be 

 reared in a season. 

 The bluebird is 

 larger than the 

 chickadee and wren, 

 and needs a larger 

 home. Its house 

 should be 10 X 6 

 X 6 inches inside. 



Fig. 269. — Bluebird with a grasshopper for its The entrance IS in 



young. (Photo, by Hegner.) Qne end f rom 2 to 



