lO BIRD WORLD. 



One gentleman, who watched a family of Robins 

 near his house, writes : " The female came and took 

 possession of the nest for the night. I saw her 

 brooding the young till it became so dark that I could 

 distinguish nothing. On the following evening the 

 male fed the young at about the same hour, then flew 

 to the top of a spruce tree, and after singing a good- 

 night to wife and babies, took a direct flight for the 

 roost. The female then fed the young and settled 

 herself in the nest." 



By the time you have learned the birds' names, and 

 begun to watch their habits, you may wonder whether 

 there is anything new for you to find out. 



You may think, that if so many people have studied 

 them for a hundred years, they will have found out 

 all their interesting ways. But do not be discouraged. 

 Nothing could be more interesting than this habit of 

 the Robins of assembling every summer night in these 

 great companies ; and yet, though the Robin is every- 

 where common, and has been studied by hundreds of 

 bird students, it was only eight years ago that anything 

 was written about " Robin roosts." 



