Part 6

Each judge marks individually on the tally and the box whose score is highest in the estimation of all, receives first and so on through all the prizes.

Sometimes the pupils judge the display beforehand and compare their results with those of the selected judges, and it has proven generally that boys and girls will use very excellent judgment in selecting the winners.

The prizes are usually tools, good books, and thrift stamps, and this annual event is looked forward to with keen anticipation by the youthful designers.

Figs. 4 and 5 show exhibits at the local museum for the past two years.

Fig. 6 shows a group of prize winners.

Figs. 7, 8 and 9 show collections of houses made during the past four years.

Fig. 10 shows one prize winner with his house hollowed from a piece of birch limb.

BIRD HOUSE DAY.

After the prize winners have been announced a day is set for all who are interested, to gather at the Museum, and with nails, hammers, wire and step ladder, together with the Bird Boxes start out to place the houses in position. Fig. 11 shows a group about to start. Fig. 12 gives a view of the boys placing a house in a tree.

BIRD ENEMIES.

Our bird friends have much to contend with in raising their broods, and it is here we can render them valuable assistance.

The cat, the greatest enemy of birds, must be attended to diplomatically.

The shot gun method will not do here or we may find ourselves haled into court upon the complaint of some neighbor.

The best way is to guard the tree trunks with tin as suggested in several ways in Plate 19. For tramp cats, having no home or owner, the trap shown in the same plate will be found efficient.

Spikes may be driven in part way about a pole so that the row of heads prevent the cats getting by.

English Sparrows are another sworn enemy of our song birds and they should be exterminated in every way possible.

Traps, air guns and any other means, no matter how diabolical, are all too good for this feathered pest. Their nests should be pulled down and the young destroyed whenever and wherever found. They are persistent and must be continuously harassed.

Squirrels and snakes also steal both the eggs and the young and they should be driven from localities frequented by birds.

GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR STARTING WORK ON THE BIRD BOXES.

First decide upon the bird for which your house is to be made and, referring to the drawings, select the one which best suits your fancy.

Look the various pieces over and estimate about how much lumber will be required, then plan your work so as to cut your board with as little waste as possible. Take pieces of a similar width and get them out in one long piece from your board.

Plane one edge of the board straight and smooth and call this the working edge, or edge from which all measurements are to be taken. Square one end square with the working edge and the surface. Measure from this square end, the length specified on the drawing, and square a line across the board, placing the try square handle tight against the working edge.

Next take the cross-cut saw and saw carefully just outside your line on the side away from the piece to be cut off. Plane now back to the line and no further. The width must next be obtained either with a marking gage, if you have one, set at the required distance, or by measuring carefully with your ruler.

Now saw and plane to your line. Treat each piece in this manner and mark with its proper letter, to be ready for assembling later.

We shall consider, for illustration, that we are making the Blue Bird House shown in Plate 3. We have our pieces all cut out and numbered and shall now cut the shape of pieces A, which are the front and rear of the house, from our pieces that we have previously cut 8½ inches wide by 10 inches long.

Find the center of one end, which will be one-half of 8½ inches or 4¼ inches. Measure down on each side 4 inches and draw from our edge center to these points.

Find the center of our bottom edge next and measure 2½ inches each side to make our bottom edge 5 inches wide, as shown. Draw from the ends of this 5 inch lines to our points on the sides and we are ready to carefully cut out the form as shown in the drawing. Always remember when sawing to a line to leave about 1/16 inch between our saw cut and the line and finish with a plane to the line.

Be sure that the front and rear pieces are exactly the same size and shape to insure our house going together nicely later.