THE AUDUBON BULLETIN a7 
MARTIN 
ROUSE 
PLANS FOR MARTIN HOUSE 
‘House Sparrow nests. “The doors will also be found very useful in making 
observations of various kinds, which the Martins readily become accustomed 
to, providing such observations are not made too often, or too prolonged. 
Among other interesting things, the writer found that the eggs were 
laid on a bed of small leaves and bits of green leaves freshly taken from 
trees after the main body of nest had been completed. P. A. Taverner has 
also noticed this habit (Auk, p. 110, 1933); this was done undoubtedly 
to add moisture or a cooling effect. Sometimes these were added after all 
the eggs had been laid. On our place the nests were made of material 
gathered on the premises, dry grass and small pieces of asparagus stalks. 
The birds showed a special fondness for the terminal leaves of a Flem- 
ish Beauty Pear, while the leaves of a Bartlett Pear, but a short distance 
away, were scarcely touched. In the case of the former the effect of denud- 
ing operations could be seen some distance away. 
With reference to the chambers, attention is called that the entrance- 
way should be placed at the extreme left-hand corner of the chamber. “This 
is done to avoid all possibility of a direct draught striking the nest and con- 
tents—the sitting bird, eggs and later the young. “That feature is very 
important for from the first it was recognized by the birds, for they never 
built their nests in any other place than the diagonally opposite corner of 
the chamber (see Plate). 
