Evening star., 1911-06-02
EVERY HOUSE TAKEN
Birds Occupy Homes Built by
School Children.
ARE OF MANY DESIGNS
Every Imaginable Material Is Used
in Their Construction.
SOME ARE ELABORATELY BUILT
Winged Creatures Show Decided
Preference for Abodes That
Are Painted Dark.
SOME ARE ELABORATELY BUILT
Every house Is taken

Every house Is taken!
That Is the situation in the suburbs to-
day-not with the great houses of bricks
and mortar, tiles and shingles-but the
miniature houses that have been
constructed by students in the pub
lie schools in the suburbs for the bird
''residenters'' in the surrounding woods.
For weeks during the winter months. be-
fore the first spring call OF the first re-
turning bird to this vicinity. many hands.
the owners Of which are boys and girls In
the suburban districts. were busy fash
ioning homes for the feathered songsters,
whom the young people knew soon would
return from their more southern winter
homes.
This work Of making bird homes was
taken up by the youngsters partly in
school time and partly out of school time.
In school the work was carried on In con-
junction with nature study and manual
training The work out of school was
carried on with the same objects in view
that would result from in school, work,
but in q more informal manner. While
the students who made bird houses un-
doubtedly have learned much about car
pentry and construction. the greatest
gain, perhaps, has been in the develop
Are of Various Materials.
The birdhouses are Of every imaginable
design and made of every imaginable
material. The houses range from two
story twig mansions with porches to plain
one-room dwellings having but single
door, while the material consists Of twiss.
cigar boxes cheese boxes. with conical
tops, hollow goudrs and hollow branches.
The design and material Of the miniature
aerial dwellings are left entirely in the
hands of the student architects. the
teachers merely suggesting now and then.
After the houses are finished they may
be coated with shellac or painted, In
order to keep the interiors dry during
inclement weather. Students of the Chevy
Chase School. which was a pioneer in the
building Of birdhouses, under the direc-
tion of Miss Ella Given. principal OF the
sc hool and a member of the local branch
ot the Audubon Society. have discovered
that the birds do not like gayly colored
houses The dark-colored ones have
proved more popular, 1t Is said, while
those covered with the bark of trees
have proved most popular OF all with
the woodland citizens.
Object Of the Work.
Speaking of the work of building the
birdhouses. Miss Given said recently:
''The object Is to encourage children to
use their hands as well as their heads
and to interest them in the bird life
around them. This interest leads natu-
rally to bird protection. The design Of the
boxes is left entirely to individual taste
and they are therefore very different in
style. Several children are allowed to
work together IL convenient. but they
often prefer to work independently"
One or two birdhouses made by the chill
dren are included in the exhibition of
the work of the schools at the Franklin
School. but the greater number are high
among the tree boughs Overhanging the
windows of the suburban schools. where
the songs of the birds may make work
lighter for those In the buildings.
And who can tell. as the scholars sit
poring over their books, what little do
mestic dramas-some tragedies, many
comedies-are enacted in the little houses
outside? Perhaps 1t is a feeling Of BROTH
erhood, after all. that prompts the schol-
ars to extend helping hands to their bird
neighbors rather than a love for manual
training and a definite love Of studying
nature from books.