950 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



§ 



AN INEXPENSIVK NEST BOX FOR ENGUSH 

 SPARROWS 



ing the increase of sparrows in a locality 

 is to destroy their nests at intervals of 

 ten or twelve days throughout the breed- 

 ing season. Occasionally they build 

 large covered nests in trees, but as a rule 

 they build open nests in bird-houses, 

 electric - light hoods, cornices, water- 

 spouts, and similar places. While it is 

 often difficult to reach nests with the 

 hand, they can usually be torn down by 

 means of a long pole having an iron 

 hook at the tip. By a concerted and con- 

 tinued movement to destroy every nest 

 after the eggs are laid, English sparrows 

 in any locality may be gradually reduced 

 without resorting to shot or poison. 



The sparrow's habit of nesting in cavi- 

 ties can be turned to account against it. 

 By providing one-room bird-houses, or 

 even packing boxes or tin cans, and put- 

 ting them in trees or on poles or build- 

 ings at a height of about lo feet, the 

 "birds may be captured after dark with 

 the aid of a long-handled net. This net 

 should have a deep bag and a small hoop 

 made to fit the front of the boxes closely. 

 After the net has been quietly placed 

 over the entrance, a few raps on the box 

 will send the tenant into it. Dilapidated 

 buildings may sometimes be fitted up for 

 catching sparrows in this way, as well as 

 for destroying their nests and eggs. The 

 figure on page 951 shows how this can 

 be done. An ordinary w^ooden box rnay 

 be nailed to the inside of the building 



over a hole made to admit the sparrows. 

 The box should be arranged so that the 

 top or upper part of the back can be 

 lifted to gain access to the inside. 



The box, also illustrated on this page, 

 is designed to be hung on a building ot 

 a tree. Its floor should be about 6 inches 

 square and its height at the eaves about 

 8 inches. The roof should be hinged at 

 the top for removing the eggs or young. 

 Such boxes may be built of rough boards 

 at slight cost. By distributing a numbei- 

 of them about orchards, shade trees, and 

 out-buildings, and catching the sparrows 

 that occupy them, or by destroying eggs, 

 the work of extermination may be car- 

 ried on at a season when other methods 

 are least effective. 



Preliminary to the following destruc- 

 tive measures, sparrows should be baited 

 until they are attached to the spot se- 

 lected for their execution. Seeds, grain, 

 or waste from the table, if supplied regu- 

 larly, will soon establish a feeding place. 

 If a general campaign is to be under- 

 taken, enough such feeding places should 

 be maintained to attract to them prac- 

 tically all the English sparrows in the 

 neighborhood. This can easily be done 

 in winter when food is scarce. After 

 thus baiting the sparrows they may be 

 trapped, shot, or poisoned. 



Traps alone are inadequate to extermi- 

 nate sparrows, but a reduction of num- 

 bers can be effected by using a shallow 

 box not less than 4 feet square, open on 

 one side and covered with woven wire 

 on the other. One side of this trap rests 

 on the ground, while the opposite side 

 is supported by a stick 18 inches long. 

 Near the upper end of this stick is at- 

 tached a long cord, and between the top 

 of it and the edge of the trap is placed 

 a chip. By setting the trap over bait 

 and pulling the cord from a sheltered 

 point of observation when a flock of 

 sparrows is beneath it, numbers of them 

 may be caught. Instead of the box de- 

 scribed above, by which the birds are 

 taken alive, an old door or similar device 

 may be employed as a deadfall. In either 

 case the trap should be kept set and 

 baited until the sparrows are not afraid 



