href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@25990@[email protected]#fig_8" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">8, 9, 38, 66 and 67 show larger, finer and more difficult houses. The doors or openings are 2-1/2" in diameter and can be made with an expansion bit or a key-hole saw. All of these houses are to be made so they may be cleaned. Sometimes the bottom is hinged on two screws or nails, and held in proper place by a dowel (bluebird house, Fig. 21); or screwed in place (wren house, Fig. 21, and martin house, Fig. 45); or hinged and held in place by a brass spring (wren house, Fig. 14).

FIG. 11. HOUSES FOR WRENS AND BLUEBIRDS.

FIG. 12. RUSTIC HOUSES.

RUSTIC HOUSES.

The first group of houses of this type are shown in Figs. 12, 35 and 36. These are made of slabs of wood with the bark left on, and in some cases, of the bark alone if it can be secured of sufficient thickness. It is usually a good plan to drive a sufficient number of nails into the bark to keep it in place, otherwise it will drop off. Houses such as these attract birds that would avoid a freshly painted imitation of some large residence or public building. Figs. 20 and 37 show houses made of a section of a tree split or sawed in halves, the nest cavity hollowed out, and then fastened together again with screws. The top should be covered with a board or piece of tin to keep out rain. The third division of this type of house is made of sawed lumber and then trimmed with bark or twigs. In this way the same frames may be made to appear as very different bird houses when completed. Such houses are shown in Figs. 30 to 34. Sometimes a pail is used for the frame and then covered with bark, as the center house of Fig. 28. This house has a partition placed half-way up making it a two family apartment, and is provided with ventilating and cleaning devices.

CEMENT AND STUCCO HOUSES.

Houses may be cast of concrete as Fig. 39. This requires a mold or form, and takes considerable planning to insure success. A form is made whose inside dimensions are those of the outside of the bird house, and of the desired shape. A second form, or core, to be placed inside of the first form, is made as large as the inside of the bird house. The two forms must be mounted so they will remain in the right relation while concrete is placed in the space between them. After this has set, the forms may be removed, cleaned and used again. The roof is generally made separately and put in position last. Or the roof can be cast as a part of the house in which case the bottom is inserted last. Birds do not take as kindly to this type of house as a rule, as to those made of wood.

FIG. 13. STUCCO HOUSE FOR MARTINS.

The stucco house has many possibilities. Fig. 38, shows a group of such houses designed to match the general appearance of garages in good residence districts. The frame is made of wood and t Pg020 co applied by one of the methods in use on large houses. Seventh grade boys have made such houses, using 3/8" material for the frames, tacking on wire netting and then plastering each side of the house in turn with concrete. The sides were given a pebble-dash surface, while the roof was finished with a steel trowel to give a smooth surface that will shed water readily, Fig. 13.

FIG. 14.

FIG. 15.

A CAREFULLY PLANNED PROJECT IS SHOWN IN VARIOUS STAGES OF COMPLETION IN FIGS. 15-