54 Handbook of Nature-Study 



THE ROBIN 



Teacher's Story 



of us think we know the robin well, but very few 

 of us know definitely the habits of this, our commonest 

 bird. The object of this lesson is to form in the pupils 

 a habit of careful observation, and enable them to read 

 for themselves the interesting story of this little life 

 which is lived every year before their eyes. Moreover, 

 a robin note-book, if well kept, is a treasure for any child; and the close 

 observation necessary for this lesson trains the pupils to note in a com- 

 prehending way the habits of other birds. It is the very best preparation 

 for bird study of the right sort. 



A few robins occasionally find a swamp where they can obtain food to 

 nourish them during the northern winter, but for the most part, they go 

 in flocks to our Southern States where they settle in swamps and cedar 

 forests and live upon berries. They are killed in great numbers by the 

 native hunters who eat them or sell them for table use, a performance not 

 understandable to the northerner. The robins do not nest nor sing while 

 in Southland, and no wonder! When the robins first come to us in the 

 spring they feed on wild berries, being especially fond of those of the 

 Virginia creeper. As soon as the frost is out of the ground they begin 

 feeding on earthworms, cutworms, white grubs, and other insects. The 

 male robins come first, but do not sing until their mates arrive. 



The robin is ten inches long and the English sparrow is only six and 

 one-third inches long; the pupils should get the sizes of these two birds 

 fixed in their minds for comparison in measuring other birds. The father 

 robin is much more decided in color than his mate; his beak is yellow, 

 there is a yellow ring about the eye and a white spot above it. The head 

 is black and the back slaty-brown ; the breast is brilliant reddish brown 

 or bay and the throat is white, streaked with black. The mother bird has 

 paler back and breast and has no black upon the head. The wings of both 

 are a little darker than the back, the tail is black with the two outer 

 feathers tipped with white. These white spots do not show except when 

 the bird is flying and are "call colors," that is, they enable the birds to 

 see each other and thus keep together when flying in flocks during the 

 night. The white patch made by the under tail-coverts serves a similar 

 purpose. The feet and legs are strong and dark in color. 



The robin has many sweet songs and he may be heard in the earliest 

 dawn and also in the evenings; if he wishes to cheer his mate he may 

 burst into song at any time. He feels especially songful before the 

 summer showers when he seems to sing, "I have a theory, a theory, its 

 going to rain." And he might well say that he also has a theory, based 

 on experience, that a soaking shower will drive many of the worms and 

 larvae in the soil up to the surface where he can get them. Besides these 

 songs the robins have a great variety of notes which the female shares, 

 although she is not a singer. The agonizing, angry cries they utter when 

 they see a cat or squirrel must express their feelings fully; while they give 

 a very different warning note when they see crow or hawk, a note hard to 

 describe, but which is a long, not very loud squeak. 



A robin can run or hop as pleases him best, and it is interesting to see 

 one, while hunting earthworms run a little distance, then stop to bend the 



