Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 264, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 November 1917 — HOW TO MAKE BIRD HOUSES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HOW TO MAKE BIRD HOUSES

They Must Be Made to Look Old and Weather-Beaten —Hole Should Be Near the Top. Here are a few suggestions that will prove helpful to anyone planning to build bird houses: Martins and sparrows are the only birds that build their nests in colonies. Martins are all too rare, and sparrows are all too numerous; so unless you have a large place and many birdhouses do pot build a house with room for more than one nest. Make the house of weather-worn boards, or if you must use new lumber, stain or

paint it brown or green and throw a little dry earth on ft before the paint Is quite dry. It must be made to look as old and weather-beaten as possible. Make your box deeper than it is wide and put the hole nearer the top than the bottom. Slope the roof from the back to the front, and let it project far enough to prevent sun, rain and cats from reaching the hole. It is much better to hinge the roof, as then you can dean the house out at the end of the season, which must be done or the birds will not return. It is wise to dust out the inside of an old birdhouse thoroughly with sulphur. Be sure you set the houses out pf reach of cats, as they are the nestlings’ worst enemies. •

Types of Bird Houses.