Page:What to do for Uncle Sam; a first book of citizenship (IA whattodoforuncle00bail).pdf/162

158 will build their nests. Such a shelf with a roof can be built in the garden.

Uncle Sam has experimented with building many different kinds of bird houses and can tell boys and girls just what to do in order to be satisfactory bird landlords. A house for a bird such as a nuthatch, who digs and bores his shelter, should have an entrance hole that is the same size as the one he would make, himself, in a tree. Wood is a better material to use for a bird house than cement, and the entrance hole should be slanted from the outside to keep out the rain. The nails and screws used in putting the house together should be set in very deeply and the heads covered with putty.

The holes for letting air into the bird house should be drilled over the door, never below, for draughts may kill the young birds. If there is danger of rain getting in through the door, a hole bored in the floor, where the nest will cover it, will give enough drainage.

It is a good plan to paint your bird houses, but choose gray or brown like the bark of the tree, or green to match the leaves. Many bird houses are built with porches in front, but this is a poor plan. It furnishes a place for the English sparrows, the tramps of the bird world, to gather, so it is better to do away with porches.