WESTERN ROBIN 57 



on two occasions known this robin to raise three broods; and once 

 he saw three broods raised in the same nest, near Tacoma, Wash. 

 This nest contained four well-grown young on May 20, three well- 

 incubated eggs on June 12, and two new eggs on July 10. The three 

 sets of young were apparently raised successfully, as the nest was 

 frequently visited. The male always used the same singing perch 

 near the nest; and the female, at first wild and noisy, became so tame 

 that she had to be lifted off the nest. 



Food. — The western robin eats the same kinds of food as the eastern 

 robin, bur, naturally it includes many different species of insects, 

 berries, and fruits. Professor Beal (1907), in his study of the food 

 of California robins, had the stomachs of only 71 birds, collected in 

 the winter months from Novembei to April, inclusive. He found 

 that, for the three winter months, the eastern robin eats 18 percent of 

 animal food and 82 percent of vegetable; whereas the western bird 

 eats 22 percent animal and 78 percent vegetable food during the same 

 period, more insects being available on the Pacific coast than in the 

 East at that season. Beetles, which amounted to 54 percent of the 

 whole food in April, amounted to 13 percent for the six months. 

 Caterpillars came next in importance, over 4 percent, and the re- 

 mainder consisted of various insects and a few angleworms. 



E. K. Kalmbach (1914) gives a better idea of the summer food of 

 the robin, based on the examination of many stomachs collected in 

 Utah during the months of April, May, June, and July. A large 

 share of the food (14 percent) consisted of the destructive alfalfa 

 weevil. Out of 45 April birds, 28 had eaten adults of this weevil 

 and three others showed traces of it. "Caterpillars, many of which 

 were cutworms, were taken with almost as great avidity as the weevil, 

 occurring in 27 stomachs, but the larger size of these insects resulted 

 in a much higher percentage, 23.24. One stomach contained at 

 least 90 young caterpillars. Click beetles (Elateridae) and their 

 larvae, wireworms, were found in 18 stomachs and amounted to 11.10 

 percent of the contents. One bird had eaten no less than 5 adults 

 and 40 larvae of Limonius occidentalis. The other important ele- 

 ments of the animal food were earthworms (8.68 percent), flies 

 (5.97), dung beetles (Scarabaeidae) (5.70), and ground beetles (3.97)." 



During June, 17 stomachs contained 23.77 percent alfalfa weevils. 

 One bird "destroyed 2 adults and 253 larvae, and the other 3 adults 

 and about 241 larvae; the latter composed 80 percent of the food." 



The examination of 18 robins collected in July showed a falling off 

 in the number of these weevils eaten, but one stomach contained 2 

 adults and about 220 larvae. Caterpillars amounted to 37.72 per- 

 cent, and earthworms made up nearly a fifth of the food. 



I have often been asked whether a robin sees, or hears, or feels the 



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