SHORT COMMUNICATIONS 
387 
FIG. 2. Relationship between base area of nest box and number of young House Sparrows surviving nest box life. 
site are based more on location within the overall 
configuration of nest box placement on the 
garage; preferred nest boxes are those on the 
back of the garage which are less disturbed by the 
usual human activities about the house and yard - 
but only one of the five smallest nest boxes was 
on the back side. 
The second question has been investigated for a 
number of hole-nesting species. Observations and 
experiments have shown a positive correlation 
between the bottom area of a nesting cavity or 
nest box and clutch size (e.g.. Boreal Owl, 
Aegotius June reus |Korpimaki 1985); Tree Swal¬ 
low. Tachycineta bicolor (Rendell and Robertson 
1989); Willow Tit. Poecile montcmus [Ludescher 
1973); Marsh Tit. P. palustris |Ludescher 1973, 
Wesolowskt 20031; Great Til, Punts major 
IGraczvk 1967; Johansson 1974; Lohri 1973, 
1980; Karlsson and Nilsson 1977; van Balen 
1984; Gustafsson and Nilsson 1985); Eurasian 
Blue Tit. Cyanistes cae rule its (Hnemar 1981. van 
Balen 1984); European Pied Flycatcher. Ficedula 
hypoteuca [Johansson 1974. Karlsson and Nilsson 
1977, Gustafsson and Nilsson I985|: Collared 
Flycatcher, F. aibicollis |Gustafsson and Nilsson 
1985); and European Starling. Sturmis vulgaris 
1C lobe rt and Berthet 1983, Trillmich and Hudde 
1984]). This is not a universal finding among 
cavity-nesting species (e.g., Ash-throatcd Fly¬ 
catcher, Myiarchus cinerascens [Purcell et al. 
1997); Oak Titmouse, Baeolophus inornatus 
| Purcell et al. 1997); Eurasian Nuthatch, Sitta 
europaea [Pravosudov 1995); House Wren. Trog¬ 
lodytes action [Purcell et al. 1997); European Pied 
Flycatcher (van Balen 1984, Alatalo ct al. 1988, 
Czes/.czewik and Walankiewiez 20031; Eastern 
Bluebird, Sialia sialis [Pitts 1998); Western 
Bluebird, S. mexicana [Purcell et al. 1997); 
European Starling |Karlsson and Nilsson 1977, 
Moeed and Dawson 1979)). The distinction 
between these groups is not understood but there 
seems to be taxonomic and size differences. 
Experiments undertaken by Lohri (1973) com¬ 
pared Great Tits using nest boxes with diameters 
20 cm (or 314 enr basal area) and 9 cm (or 64 cm 2 
basal area) and reported dutch size in smaller nest 
boxes to be statistically smaller than clutch size in 
larger nest boxes. Other measures of breeding 
success (hatching success, nestling mortality or 
Hedging mass) did not differ between small and 
large nest boxes (Lohri 1973). This difference in 
final clutch size in later experiments was evident 
even when the size of the nest box was changed 
during laying of the first four eggs (Lohri 1980). 
Gustafsson and Nilsson (1985: 384) suggested 
clutch size differences were just "an adjustment 
of the clutch to the size of the nesting cavity”. 
House Sparrows have been identified as indeter¬ 
minant layers (Haywood 1993; Anderson 1995, 
2006) and it might be supposed that any tactile 
