OUR BEST SINGERS 99 



household, but I am not at all sure they were 

 guilty. The tragedies of the nests are many. 

 The wonder is that birds are able to maintain 

 their numbers at all in the face of so many 

 dangers. 



The Robin is one of the very first comers in 

 the spring, while there are still many snowbanks 

 about and the winds are chill. I look for them 

 in Prospect Park in the early days of March. 

 At first they are obliged to feed on last year's 

 fruits and berries, for usually the frost is not 

 out of the ground so early and, in consequence, 

 the supply of earthworms is not yet available. 

 Often they frequent the orchard for the pulp 

 of the apples left from last year's crop, now 

 rendered soft by the winter's freezing. For a 

 few weeks, until the angleworms are ready, 

 their food problem is a hard one. Then all their 

 troubles are over, and the greening lawns are 

 dotted here and there w4th these vigorous birds. 



No doubt a few Robins winter as far north 

 as Massachusetts in sheltered places where 

 berries may be had during the cold months. 

 But the great majority migrate in flocks to the 

 south, Georgia and Florida being favorite win- 

 ter haunts. There they roam about in search of 

 food which is not always available for so many 

 birds, even in those regions of abundance. In 

 the winter of 1911-1912 it was said many died of 

 starvation. Mr. Burroughs, in that year, spent 

 several weeks on a Georgia plantation and re- 

 turning north, told me of finding many dead 

 Robins, perished, as he believed, from lack of 

 food. One day, finding one weak and apparently 



