SOUTHERN ROBIN 47 



finds the southern robin a very common nesting bird within the city 

 limits. There are at least 50 or 75 pairs nesting in the town. They 

 seem to be content to nest on limbs that reach out over the streets, and 

 the passing cars, trucks, and other vehicles do not seem to disturb 

 them. Their territory of defense seems to be the side of the tree in 

 which their nest is constructed. His first nest was located in a cedar 

 tree some 8 feet up and within 3 feet of the end of a limb. Another, 

 near his house, was 25 feet from the ground and within 5 feet from the 

 end of a limb that was about 15 feet long. This nest was on the top of 

 the limb with ouly a small twig to support it on the south side and no 

 support whatever on the north side. 



He tells of another pair that started to build their nest on March 16 

 but did no more work on it after the next morning, apparently having 

 given up the idea of nesting. On March 28 there was a heavy rain; 

 and on the next day the robins worked hard carrying mud and com- 

 pleted the nest on April 1. There was no mud available in the 

 vicinity until the rain came, and the birds had to wait for it. He says 

 that the robins nest there in April, May, June, and the early part of 

 July, but mainly in May and June. He is quite positive that two 

 broods are raised there in a season. 



Margaret Morse Nice (1930-31) says that in Norman, Okla., the 

 southern robin is an "increasingly common summer resident. We 

 have records of 48 nests. In 1921 there were eight nests with com- 

 plete sets before the end of March, the earliest being March 23; but 

 most seasons the first eggs are found during the first week in April. 

 * * * In four cases there have been 4 eggs, in eleven cases 3. 

 Seventeen elms have been chosen, two maples, two walnuts, one box 

 elder and one apple tree. One nest was built at a height of 3 feet, two 

 at 8, three at 10, one at 12, five at 15, three at 20 and three at 25, the 

 average being 15 feet." 



Eggs. — The eggs of the southern robin, usually three or four to the 

 set, are practically indistinguishable from those of its northern 

 relative. The measurements of 21 eggs average 27.9 by 20.0 milli- 

 meters; the eggs showing the four extremes measure 29.5 by 20.9, 

 29.2 by 21.3, and 25.7 by 18.5 millimeters. 



Young. — Mr. Vaiden tells me that the young in a nest near his house 

 hatched on June 29, 1942; "on July 10, a frisky youngster dropped from 

 the nest to the ground and the parents fed it for two days, along with 

 the one in the nest, until it moved out of our yard. The secoud bird 

 left the nest by coaxing from the parents on July 13, at 1:33 p. m. 

 The date of hatching was accepted as the first day of actual feeding 

 which we observed. Only two birds seemed to have reached maturity 

 in this nest, as no others were observed being fed as we watched them 

 through binoculars." 



