46 THE ROBIN. 



looked at the nest again. Short though the interval had been, the old birds 

 had taken the prematurely-hatched chick about a yard from the nest and 

 killed it. The other egg was hatched the next day, and the egg we had 

 not touched on the day following. When all the young Peewits had grown 

 up, and a short time before they left us, there was one with pure white 

 wings seen in the same field, and I think it must have been the bird out 

 of the broken egg which we had plugged with moss. 



Smeiv, (Mergus albellus.) — The keeper shot a pair on the river, the winter 

 before last. 



Golden-eyed Garrot, (Clangula vulgaris.) — Very common here in the first 

 year's plumage: the adult bird has only occurred once within my observation. 



Pin-tailed Duck, (Anas acuta.) — I shot a female this winter, 



Glenlee Park, KircudhrightsJiire, November, 1832. 



THE ROBIN, {ERYTHACA BUBEGULA.) 



TO THE KniTOU OF "tHE NATUaALIST." 



I send you the following interesting account of a Robin, communicated to 

 me by Mrs. Harriet Murchison, of Bicester, Oxfordshire; having her permission 

 to do so. The account was written by that lady's mother, the wife of the 

 late Colonel AIpe, of Hardingham, in Norfolk, at which place the circumstance 

 occurred. — F. 0. Morris, Najferto^i Vicarage, Driffield, November 20th., 1852. 



A FEW years since, the winter set in very severe with deep snow. It was 

 my custom to open my chamber window every morning as soon as I rose, 

 and leave the door open into the dressing-room, which communicated with it. 

 One morning I perceived, on the top of the door, a Robin, which had entered 

 through the window; after sitting there a short time twittering, he ventured 

 to descend into the dressing-room, and by my great care in avoiding any 

 sudden noise or movement that might alarm him, he soon became so tame 

 as to hop fearlessly about the room. Gradually he approached the fire, and 

 I feared he would fly into it. I watched him narrowly; he first settled on 

 the fender, from thence hopped upon one of the logs of wood within it, 

 where he remained till sufficiently warmed, turning himself round, as if to 

 warm every part, and then returned to his amusement of hopping about the 

 room, picking up crumbs, etc. 



It is almost incredible how soon and entirely he became perfectly tame. 

 At that time I breakfasted in my dressing-room, and as soon as my breakfast 

 appeared, he hopped on the back of my sofa, from thence to the table, 

 where he helped himself, and once burnt his bill by his curiosity to taste 

 some cofiee which was too hot, and appeared, for a few minutes, very angry. 

 He took crumbs from my hand, but preferred helping himself out of the 

 plate, and that with so much assurance and familiarity, that I was fearful 



