THE ROBIN. 



155 



too, have brownish edgings. The white spot above the eye sometimes extends for- 

 wards towards the nostrils, but is usually quite restricted. The white patches on 

 the two eyelids are separated fi-om each other, anteriorly and posteriorly. 



This very common and well-known bird is a summer in- 

 habitant of all New England, and, in mild winters, remains 

 in the southern districts of these States through the year. 

 The great body of the 



birds, however, arrive 

 from the South about 

 the middle of March. 

 They commence build- 

 ing from the middle of 

 April to the first week 

 in May, according to lati- 

 tude. The nest is built 

 more often in the trees of 

 the orchards and gardens, near houses, than in the deep 

 woods. It is a large, elaborately built affair, constructed first 

 of a thick layer of straws, weeds, roots, and mosses : on this 

 is built the nest proper, which is made of straws and weeds, 

 woven together in a circular form, and plastered together 

 with mud ; this is lined with soft grasses and moss, the 

 whole making a durable structure, often holding together 

 through the entire year. The eggs are usually four in num- 

 ber : their color is a beautiful greenish-blue, almost the same 

 as that of the Wood Thrush's egg, which they resemble in 

 shape, except they are a trifle broader. Dimensions of a 

 nest-complement of four eggs : 1.16 by .82 inch, 1.16 by .82 

 inch, 1.10 by .75 inch, 1.10 by .80 inch. Many cases occur, 

 in the southern districts of New England, of two broods 

 being reared in the season, and I have known of three 

 broods being reared in Massachusetts ; but, in the northern 

 districts, I think that the second brood is the exception, 

 instead of the rule. 



Perhaps none of our birds are more unpopular with horti- 

 culturists than this ; and I will here give the observations 



