2 THE, AU DU BON: (BU ey eee 
My first effort was an eight room house with the bottom dump feature, as 
illustrated in the accompanying photograph. The bottom of each compart- 
ment is hinged so that by means of a long pole with a hook at the end any 
compartment may be emptied of its contents quite easily from the ground. 
The bottom may then be pushed back into place, where it is held by a cup- 
board catch. After its nest has been dumped out on the ground a time or 
two, even a sparrow, persistent as he is, seems to get the idea that he is 
not wanted around that particular house. Dumping of sparrow nests 
should not be done except when the martins are not around. This house 
follows the standard dimensions, the rooms being 6x6x6 inches, center open 
and connected to an attic which has screened openings for ventilation. Al- 
though the construction is sturdy, the weight is only 30 pounds, which is an 
advantage in handling. 
Even before finishing the first house, an idea for a second house came to 
mind: using individual hinged ledges in front of each hole. This idea of 
closing up the entrances to each hole as desired has been used successfully 
by Mr. Louis Lutherman, of Blue Island, for several years. Whereas Mr. 
Lutherman makes use of a special lock to hold the ledge up or down, the 
house built by the writer, illustrated in the second photograph, uses a 
phosphor bronze spring which holds the ledge up or down, depending on 
which way you push it. Closing up the hole or opening it is accomplished 
by means of a long pole with a hook on the end of it, and is so simple that 
a child can operate it. House No. 2 is built along the same lines as No. 1 
but has two stories, and the bottom story has larger rooms, about 7x7x9 
inches. 
