184 



RECKEATIVE SCIENCE. 



aflfair : tliere is a great deal of fidgeting and 

 caprice ; the newly -married pair seem to have 

 no settled views of life, and often lay the 

 foundations of many nests before they finally 

 work in earnest to complete one. A pair that 

 built in my garden last summer, and brought 

 out a strong brood, made choice, I think, of 

 not less than half a dozen places along the 

 length of the privet-hedge, and at last settled 

 within ten yards of the drawing-room win- 

 dows, whence we could watch my lord and my 

 lady making their excursions, and knew when 

 eggs had been laid by missing my lady alto- 

 gether. But my lord was so pompous, rest- 

 less, serious, and busy, that he filled the 

 scene with his own consequential presence, 

 and the square* rod of turf which fronted his 

 domain was none too large for him to give it 

 all the life it needed. Eennie tells of a 

 pair building in a greenhouse at Christmas, 

 and bringing out their young, in due course, 

 with perfect safety. The Eev. F. O. Morris 

 gives the following dates at which nests con- 

 taining eggs were found: — November, 1851, 

 at Gribton, Dumfriesshire; January, 1848, 

 at Moreton, and near York ; first week of 

 February, 1844, near York ; 20th of Febru- 

 ary, near Belfast. From the end of April to 

 the beginning of June are the periods when 

 the first broods usually come out — earlier or 

 later, according to the season and the locality. 

 No one unaccustomed to young birds would 

 suppose the little puffy gray things to be 

 robins. They soon, however, acquire the 

 first instalment of their future russet in nu- 

 merous rust-coloured spots, and these gradu- 

 ally disappear ; towards August the " scarlet" 

 of the breast begins to show itself distinctly. 

 Then old and young alike acquire their pro- 

 per winter plumage, and towards the middle 

 of September robins appear to be suddenly 

 plentiful, as if they were birds of passage 

 and had just arrived, whereas with little song 

 and very sober coats, the old birds have been 

 close to us all summer, and their numbers 

 are now increased by the young of the year. 



Long before the young birds have ac- 

 quired their russet garb, they demonstrate 

 themselves to be robins by their pugnacity. 

 Before they have full strength to leave the 

 nest and shift for themselves, they fight 

 amongst each other, and no sooner is it 

 plainly evident that if kicked out they need 

 not perish, than they are kicked out. The 

 father knows them no longer, except as ene- 

 mies against whom he rejoices to show the 

 strength of his beak and claws. From this 

 time tUl the season of nidification again re- 

 turns, robins prove their royalty by their 

 love of combat. Old birds and young birds, 

 cock birds and hen birds, all fight, and prefer 

 to fight each other rather than any meaner 

 foes. At pairing time the pugnacious pas- 

 sion is at its height among the males ; every 

 attitude, every movement, every song, have 

 all one meaning— ;^^^^. When the robin's 

 song is at its best, at the end of September, 

 and again just after the turn of the year, take 

 note of the way in which he performs his min- 

 strelsy. He comes with a flirt over the fence 

 and alights on the ground, his beautiful 

 breast burning with martial hues, and his 

 heart beating with martial passions. He 

 does not hop like a common bird, but shuffles, 

 three hops at a time, with a small flutter at 

 the end, then shuffles again, and presently 

 flirts on to the rail, post, or branch which 

 gives him the best view of your face, and 

 there, eying you with dignified confidence, 

 he trills out his short, plaintive, and melli- 

 fluous song. Now listen ! That same song, 

 note for note, is immediately repeated from a 

 neighbouring tree or fence, and see ! he has 

 been listening for it with all his feathers 

 ruffled, knowing that if there be one of his 

 race within hearing, his defiant piping will 

 be answered in the same strain of wildness 

 and of war. Yes, it means war, sweet as 

 it is ; and rarely does the robin sing except as 

 a challenge which the next within hearing ia 

 always bold enough to answer. You may 

 hear fifty robins in the course of a short 



