THE ROBIN. 239 



female specimens at Combs Wood. I had not the good fortune to take a 

 single specimen there, (it requires a great length of net,) though I was in 

 company with them. We only saw three, (all females.) which came to the 

 ground, two of them we succeeded in capturing. — Arthur L. Simpson, Stow- 

 market, August 4th., 1858. 



Captures on the Suffolk Coast. — My brother writes me word that he is 

 taking on the coast Luperina abjecta, Heliothis dipsacea, Agrotis saucia, 

 nigricans, tritici, and valligera, Colias edusa, Miana furuncula, Hydrcecia 

 nictilans, etc. — C. 11. Bree, August 7th., 1858. 



THE ROBIN. 



In the winter of 1855-6, two little Robins came regularly to be fed in 

 a garden situated in a small town in Hampshire. Early in the spring of 

 1856, they were seen constantly flying in and out of the porch of the 

 garden door, and to the great delight of the younger members of the 

 family, were found to be building their nest in a small watering-pot, which 

 hung about four feet from the ground, and a foot from the door leading 

 to the porch, which is formed of trellis-work entwined with jessamine, roses, 

 and honeysuckle, and is the receptacle for the children's garden tools and 

 playthings, being hung round with hoops, which are almost in daily use, 

 and one of which was actually on the same nail with the watering-pot. 

 This minute description is given to convey some idea of the constant passing 

 to and fro there must be with a family of seven children, four of whom 

 are boys. 



The Robins hatched and reared a brood of five young ones, who all 

 disappeared as soon as the old birds had taught them to fly, a process 

 which was most interesting to watch, and which was most joyfully parti- 

 cipated in by the children — one little girl stroking the young birds during 

 the time. It was thought the nest might be too high for them to fly 

 back to, so at dusk they were all carefully replaced, but this precaution 

 proved useless, as they all hopped, or rather tumbled out again. Soon 

 after, notwithstanding the watering-pot had frequently been moved, they 

 re-lined the nest, and reared another brood of seven birds. 



During each time of sitting, the parent bird came regularly at a certain 

 time of the day to be fed. So much accustomed were they to little faces, 

 and so tame had they become, that on several occasions when the watering- 

 pot was taken down to exhibit the young ones to juvenile visitors, the 

 parent birds might be seen in a laurel-bush close by, with worms, flies, 

 etc., waiting their opportunity of coming to the nest, nothing daunted. 

 Crumbs of bread placed on the watering-pot would immediately disappear, 



