The best bird baths have to meet two requirements: (a) clean, fresh water, and (b) safety from enemies. Almost any shallow dish will meet both requirements if properly placed and cared for.
FIG. 62. THE PALM GARDEN EXHIBIT OF BIRD BATHS, ETC., ST. PAUL, MINN.FIG. 62. THE PALM GARDEN EXHIBIT OF BIRD BATHS, ETC., ST. PAUL, MINN.
FIG. 63. (CONCRETE BIRD BATH)FIG. 63.
Fig.62shows several baths made of concrete. The pedestal and basin are made of two separate pieces, and are cast in a form or mold. A more difficult concrete bath is shown in Fig.63. This project is made in four pieces. The base consists of two parts, the bottom being cast in a form made of 1/2" or 7/8" stock. The upper part is "swept up" by means of the templet shown, which revolves about an iron rod or a dowel-rod firmly fastened above, and held below in a hole bored in a temporary base of wood. The column is cast in a mold made of sheet tin or galvanized iron run thru tinners' rolls, and held by means of several wires twisted about it. When this is being cast two pieces of iron rod are inserted as shown which are to pass into both bowl and base to make the whole job firm. The bowl may be swept by either of two methods. The first consists of the making of two templets. With the first templet a core of clay is swept up of the desired depth and diameter. Then concrete is placed over this core, which has previously been treated to a coat of oil. Woven wire is cut into a circular shape and bent to approximate the curve of the bowl. More concrete is placed over this, and swept up by means of the second templet. Some difficulty will be experienced in removing the templet if undercut as much as shown; however,the mark where it was taken off can easily be troweled smooth again. The finished pieces are now assembled with a small quantity of "neat" cement in each joint. The second method for making the bowl begins with the making of templets cut on the opposite side of the outline, as compared with the first method. A box is then nailed up and a clay or plaster-of-paris base made. This is oiled, and the concrete put in place. In this case a wetter mixture than in the first case should be used. The second templet is then used to strike off the inside of the bowl. After this has set the pieces may be assembled as before.
One sometimes wonders that birds manage to exist and to actually increase in numbers. Possibly the first group of enemies should include men and boys who kill adult birds, leaving the fledglings to starve, or who rob the nests of eggs. It is the writer's belief that every boy who makes one or more of the projects in this booklet, and sees it occupied, will become one of a growing number who will care for instead of destroy the birds of his neighborhood. Further, if every man who now thoughtlessly or willfully destroys birds, knew the real money value of the work birds do, he would build or buy houses and food shelters to increase Nature's best friends to mankind.
The second group of enemies include ants and other vermin which at times infest nests and nesting boxes, snakes, squirrels, mice and rats. Protection against this group is afforded by bands of tin about the pole, or spikes of wood or metal pointing downward so that access is impossible by climbing up the pole. Another protection is to make the entrance holes small enough to admit only the occupant for whom the house was intended. Of course, the houses for the larger birds must be protected in other ways. Charles Tesch of Milwaukee suggests a sticky fly paper compound made of resin (melted) and castor oil as a preventive for the inroads of the small red ant, if suitable support is available.
The final group consists of the two worst foes of bird life, cats and English or house sparrows. If you really value the birds that have been reared in the house you have built you may need to get upearlymore than one morning when the youngstersleave the nest to protect them from the highly respectable (?) tabby that lives possibly next door if not at your own house. It often comes to a choice between cats and birds: and the cats may be disposed of in two ways—the right kind of box traps for the homeless and unknown robbers, and an air rifle with sufficient "sting" for the trespasser from next door. A few lessons of this kind usually have some effect.
The English or house sparrow was introduced into this country about a half-century ago. It has spread over practically all of the United States and Southern Canada. Possibly no bird has exhibited such powers of adapting itself to new conditions. The sparrow is no respecter of places for locating its nest. It lives on a variety of foods changing from one to another as the necessity arises. In spite of opposition, this bird is constantly on the increase, so much so that in many cases more desirable native birds have been obliged to leave. The sparrow is filthy and quarrelsome, and lives mainly upon valuable small grains in every case where this is possible. There are two methods possible which afford partial relief: (1) traps and (2) driving them away with an air-rifle. Traps are usually successful for a comparatively brief time, since the sparrows soon associate the trap with danger and so avoid it. A very successful type of woven wire trap is advocated by the Department of Agriculture but is probably beyond the ability of the average boy to make well. It sells by commercial manufacturers of bird supplies for about $4.00. This trap works all the year around as it depends upon the attraction of food. Fig.65gives a simple, yet effective trap. However, it requires the presence of some hidden observer to spring it at the right moment. Another type of trap is based upon the nest-house idea. Its effectiveness is limited largely to the nesting season, though it may be used by the birds for shelter. One of the most efficient traps was invented by Charles Tesch, of Milwaukee, Wis. Its principle is that of a tipping chamber leading into a sack thru a chute. Fig.64gives the dimensions to be followed in making such a trap. The inventor says that the bag should be far enough away from the box to make certain that the victim has no chance to tell the others what happened to him by chirping, otherwise they will no longer enter the trap. The box must be perfectly tight in order to prevent drafts from issuing thru the entrance which will cause sparrows to keep away. If a few feathers are glued or shellacked to the tipping chamber floor, the sparrow is often attracted more strongly. The bag should be examined frequently to liberate bluebirds and wrens, who may have been caught.
FIG. 64. (SPARROW TRAP)FIG. 64.
FIG. 65. (SPARROW TRAP)FIG. 65.
However, fighting bird enemies without the cooperation of neighbors is not an easy matter. In the case of sparrows, so many more are left that traps alone are ineffective. An airgun properly used offers some help in the city to drive them away from the premises, while a shot gun or 22 caliber rifle are more effective in the country. If every sparrow nest were torn down and no place given them in your neighborhood, the pest is likely to avoid your grounds. Finally, keep nesting boxes free from sparrows while the owners are away for the winter.
Many cities are beginning to do excellent work along the lines of bird preservation and attraction. This usually leads into an exhibition or contest, though many times quantities of houses are made and sold for other purposes, such as raising money for athletic suits for the school teams.
At Cleveland, Ohio, a large number of houses such as are shown in Figs.15-19were made for the city Bird Lovers' Association to be placed in the city parks. The boys received the profits of the sale after materials were paid for. In the Mercer Center, Seattle, Wash., the boys wanted suits for the "team." Bird houses were made in dozen lots for a large department store, and soon the boys had all the money the suits cost. Fig.36shows a group of 7th grade boys with the houses made in two class periods of two hours each. At St. Paul, Minn., the annual exhibit has become a larger affair than the automobile show. This year it will be held in the city auditorium which seats 10,000 people. The city council will pay the rent of this building for a week and the boys will see that it is filled with bird houses. Up to date (March 11, 1916) over $1,000 worth of orders have been taken for houses to be delivered after the exhibition. Fig.62shows the palm room at the St. Paul exhibit in 1915. The county making the most bird houses in 1915, so far as has been reported, was Allegheny County, Pa., where approximately 15,000 houses were produced. Fig.67shows the prize winners in a department store contest at Pittsburgh, Pa., while an exhibit in the same city is shown in Fig.66.
FIG. 66. THE PITTSBURGH EXHIBIT.FIG. 66. THE PITTSBURGH EXHIBIT.
FIG. 67. PRIZEWINNERS IN DEPARTMENT STORE CONTEST.FIG. 67. PRIZEWINNERS IN DEPARTMENT STORE CONTEST.
Space will not permit giving extended rules for such contests since the rules must vary with each city. Briefly, there should be provision made to give all competitors an equal chance. Boys of the 6th grade should meet others of that grade. Prizes may be awarded for the best houses made for the more common birds, such as wrens, bluebirds, and martins. Theseshould be judged as to adaptability or fitness to purpose, amount of protection afforded to birds, good workmanship and artistic merit. A prize might be awarded to the boy whose house has the first pair of birds nesting in it. Prizes may be of many kinds, but tools and books, as well as cash prizes are often given by local business men.
U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Division of Publications: Bird Houses and How to Build Them, Bulletin No. 609; Fifty Common Birds, Bulletin No. 513 (15 cents); The English Sparrow as a Pest, Bulletin No. 493.
Magazines which have published articles on birds and bird houses: Bird Lore; Country Life; The Craftsman; Elementary School Teacher; Ladies' Home Journal; Manual Training and Vocational Education; Outing; Outlook; School Arts Magazine; Something To Do; The Farm Journal; The National Geographic Magazine; Youths Companion.
National Association of Audubon Societies: Leaflets, photographs, advice.
Liberty Bell Bird Club of The Farm Journal, Philadelphia, Pa.: Leaflets, books, pictures, supplies, inspiration.
Public Library: Reed, "Bird Guide"; Blackburn, "Problems in Farm Woodwork"; Chapman, "Bird Life"; Hiesemann, "How to Attract Wild Birds"; National Geographic Society, "Common Birds of Town and Country"; Trafton, "Methods of Attracting Birds."
Catalogs of Bird House Companies: Audubon Bird House Co., Meriden, New Hampshire; "Bird Architecture" Crescent Co., Toms River, N. J. (20 cents); Joseph H. Dodson, 728 Security Bldg., Chicago, Ill.; "Bird Houses Large and Small," Mathews Mfg. Co., Cleveland, Ohio; Charles E. White, Box 45B, Kenilworth, Ill.; The Wheatley Pottery, 2429 Reading Road, Cincinnati, Ohio.
AAdjustable food shelters,41,44Ants,51Audubon Association,57BBibliography,57Birchbark houses,30,32Bird Architecture,57Bird baths,48,49,50Bird enemies,51Bird Houses and How to Build Them,57Bird house exhibitions,54Bird Houses Large and Small,57Bird house manufacturers,57Birds that live in nesting boxes,7Bluebirds,7,46Bluebird houses,17,25,26,27,30,39Books about birds,57CCats,51Cement and stucco houses,19,34,35Chickadee,9Chickadee houses,18,26Construction of bird houses,15Construction of Woodpecker's home,24,34Contests,56Contributors,3,4DDimensions of nesting boxes,16Downy Woodpecker,12EEnemies of birds,51English Sparrows,52Exhibitions of bird houses,54FFeeding shelves and shelters,37,42,43,44,45Feeding box for seed eating birds,39Feeding shelf for side of building,40Finch,10Flicker,11,12Flicker homes,24,27Flycatcher home,29Foods,46HHilbersdorfer feeder,41House Finch,10Houses covered with bark or twigs,30,31,32,33Houses for Bluebirds,17,25,26,27,39Houses for Chickadees,18,26House for Finches,42Houses for Flickers,24,27House for Flycatchers,29Houses for Martins,13,14,38Houses for Robins,24,27Houses for Woodpeckers,24,25Houses for Wrens,10,15,17,20,21,22,25,27,28,30Houses of sawed lumber,16Houses of slabs,33LLog houses,28,29,30MMagazines which have published bird articles,57Martins,13Martin houses,13,14,38NNuthatch feeding on sunflower seeds,12OOpening for various bird houses,16PPointing houses,15Palm garden exhibit of bird baths,49Pittsburgh, Pa. exhibit,55Placing houses,35,36,37Protection against enemies,51RRobin,8,46Robin shelves,24,27,41Rules for bird house contests,56Rustic houses,18,28,29SSeed feeder,39Shelters, bird house,37,42,43,44,45Sizes of entrances and houses,16Sparrows,52Sparrow traps,53,54Stucco houses,19,34Suet feeder,38TTable of dimensions of houses,16Time for placing houses,37Traps for sparrows,53,54VVermin,40WWall feeding shelf,40Window feeding shelf,40Window sill lunch counter,45,46,47Woodpeckers,11,12Woodpecker houses,24,25Wood suitable for making houses,15Wrens,10,11Wren houses,10,15,17,20,21,22,25,27,28
Supervisor of Manual Training, Watertown, Mass.
A popular boys' book that is truly educational. The projects are all new in the manual training shop. The text gives instructions for making each project and treats of tools and tool processes. The following is a partial list—
WindmillsPile DriverGunsKitesKite String ReelWhistlesWater WheelsCannonBow and ArrowsWater MotorsDartsSwordsPumpsBuzzersBoxesBoatTopsTelephone
THIRTY-FIVE FULL-PAGE PLATES OF WORKING DRAWINGS
PRICE, POSTPAID, $1.15
Assistant Supervisor of Manual TrainingLos Angeles, California
A comprehensive and reliable treatment of kites and kite flying. Mr. Miller, the author of the book, for a number of years past, has made a wonderful success of kite flying in the schools of Los Angeles, California. The book deals with general kite construction, tells how to make all kinds of kites and how to fly them. Describes kite accessories and how to decorate kites. It also describes the construction and use of moving devices, messengers, suspended figures and appliances, balloons and parachutes.
Four chapters treat of aeroplanes, gliders and model aeroplanes, together with one on propellers, motors, gears and winding devices.
The book contains over 267 illustrations, photographs, drawings, and diagrams.
PRICE, POSTPAID, $1.50
BY WILLIAM NOYES.A book full of charm and distinction and the first to give due consideration to the esthetic side of woodworking. It is intended to give to beginners practice in designing simple projects in wood and an opportunity to acquire skill in handling tools. The book illustrates a series of projects and gives suggestions for other similar projects together with information regarding tools and processes for making. A pleasing volume abundantly and beautifully illustrated. Price, $1.75.
BY WILLIAM NOYES.A handbook for teachers and a textbook for normal school and college students. The best reference book available for teachers of woodworking. A comprehensive and scholarly treatise, covering logging, saw-milling, seasoning and measuring, hand tools, wood fastenings, equipment and care of the shop, the common joints, types of wood structures, principles of joinery, and wood finishing. Price, $2.25.
BY WILLIAM NOYES.Treats of wood, distribution of American forests, life of the forest, enemies of the forest, destruction, conservation and uses of the forest, with a key to the common woods by Filibert Roth. Describes 67 principal species of wood with maps of the habitat, leaf drawings, life size photographs and microphotographs of sections. Contains a general bibliography of books and articles on wood and forest. Profusely illustrated with photographs from the United States forest service and with pen and ink drawings by Anna Gausmann Noyes and photographs by the author. Price, $3.50.
BY IRA S. GRIFFITH.A clear and comprehensive treatment of woodworking tools, materials, and processes. It is illustrated with photographs and numerous pen drawings. The standard textbook for students beginning woodworking. Price, 75 cents.
BY ARTHUR F. PAYNE.A textbook written by an expert craftsman and experienced teacher. It treats of the various materials and their production, ores, alloys, commercial forms, etc.; of tools and equipments suitable for the work; the inexpensive equipment of the practical craftsman; and of the correlation of art metalwork with design and other school subjects. It describes in detail all the processes involved in making articles ranging from a watch fob to a silver loving-cup. It is abundantly and beautifully illustrated, showing work done by students under ordinary school conditions in a manual training shop. The standard book on the subject. Price, $2.00.
BY SAMUEL A. BLACKBURN.A book of working drawings of 100 practical problems relating to agriculture and farm life. There are 60 full-page plates of working drawings, each accompanied by a page or more of text treating of "Purpose," "Material," "Bill of Stock," "Tools," "Directions" and "Assembly." A wonderfully practical book. Price, $1.25.
BY IRA S. GRIFFITH.Consists of working drawings and working directions. The projects are such as have proved of exceptional service where woodworking and mechanical drawing are taught in a thoro, systematic manner in the seventh and eighth grades. The 50 projects in the book have been selected and organized with the constant aim of securing the highest educational results. Price, $1.00.
BY M. W. MURRAY.A convenient collection of good problems consisting of 40 plates of working drawings of problems in bench work that have been successfully worked out by boys in grades seven to nine, inclusive. Price 75 cents.
BY FRED D. CRAWSHAW.Contains 43 full-page working drawings of articles of furniture. Every piece shown is appropriate and serviceable in the home. In addition to the working drawings, there is a perspective sketch of each article completed. There 36 pages of text giving notes on the construction of each project, chapters on the "Design," and "Construction" of furniture, and one on "Finishes." Price, $1.00.
BY IRA S. GRIFFITH.Consists of 50 plates of problems and accompanying notes. It is essentially a collection of problems in furniture making, selected and designed with reference to school use. On the plate with each working drawing is a good perspective sketch of the completed object. In draftsmanship and refinement of design these problems are of superior quality. It is in every respect an excellent collection. Price, 95 cents.
BY FRED D. CRAWSHAW.A textbook on the science and art of wood-turning. Contains 25 full-page plates of working drawings covering spindle, face-plate, and chuck turning. It is a clear, practical and suggestive book on wood-turning, and a valuable textbook for students' use. Price, 50 cents.
BY CHARLES A. BENNETT.With drawings made by Fred D. Crawshaw. A students' textbook consisting of 80 plates classified into groups according to principle and arranged according to difficulty of solution. Price, 75 cents.
The Index has been added to the Table of Contents.
Some illustrations have been moved to paragraph breaks to prevent the breakup of text. Page references match the original book but link to the current locations.
Page 13: FIG.8. A MARTIN COLONYS was changed to A MARTIN COLONY.
Page14: The two occurrences of Pere Gynt were changed to Peer Gynt.
Page15: thoroly was changed to thoroughly.
Page51: oposite was changed to opposite.
Page 54, now Page52: shellaced was changed to shellacked.
Templet(s) used 7 times; retained.
Thru, used 3 times; retained.
Page63: thoro; retained.