Rural School Leaflet iioi 



BIRD STUDY 



THE ROBIN 

 A. A. Allen 



Icy drifts still fill the shaded fence rows and the chill north wind still 

 speaks of snow and winter. Three times the ice has stilled the noisy 

 frogs, three times the whitened marsh has shown brown by noon, and now 

 by the laws of the sages spring should be here. A peeper chirps in a 

 neighboring pond ; a chickadee gives his phcebe note ; a nuthatch rolls his 

 springtime call; and there in the orchard on topmost branch appears the 

 robin. " Good luck," they say, " to see him first on highest branch." 

 Good luck to see him anywhere! Never so rich am I as after seeing 

 the first robin; then home with the glad tidings. " The robin has come 

 and spring is here! " Watch him as he flies to the sun-warmed spot 

 where perchance an early worm may be found. How brilliant is his 

 chestnut breast, how green the grass, how soft the air! We overlook 

 the stubborn drifts, we forget the icy crystals fringing yonder pond. All 

 is changed and the robin has changed it. 



Through the long winter he has been with flocks of his fellows in the 

 sunny southland, feeding on berries of mistletoe and holly, and now 

 he is back once more with an appetite for grubs and worms. Occasion- 

 ally he passes the winter in our chill northland, if he can find a sheltered 

 spot with berries of cedar, grape, or mountain ash ; but generally he leaves 

 us in October for the land of plenty. With the first signs of spring, how- 

 ever, back he flies, the harbinger of all the wealth to come. Were he 

 less common, he would no doubt be thought by all a kingly bird, the 

 pride of the whole thrush family. Let him hide in distant forests and 

 reveal himself to a lucky few only, and there would be no bird that could 

 excel his beauty, dignity, or song. Unfortunately for his reputation, 

 but happily for mankind, he is one of our most abundant birds and is 

 most content about our dooryards. He and Chanticleer announce the 

 day. Cheer up, cheer up, cheerily, cheerily, cheerily, he sings and one 

 wakes with a smile. How much easier to start the day right when this 

 is our morning summons! 



The male robins come first in the spring and await the arrival of their 

 mates. Frequently they do not sing for many days or even weeks after 

 arriving, but when the females come in late March or early April they 



