238 



BIRDS OF AMERICA 



to the lawns as soon as they are able to get there) 

 often on the woodwork or in the vines of a porch 

 within a few feet of a window or door. As an 

 instance of the curious and stupid things a bird 

 may do in the way of nest-building, Mr. Bur- 

 roughs tells the following story: 



" I was amused at the case of a Robin that 

 recently came to mv knowledge. The bird built 

 its nest in the south end of a rude shed that 

 covered a table at a railroad terminus upon 

 which a locomotive was frequently turned. 

 When her end of the shed was turned to the 

 north she biu'lt another nest in the temporary 

 south end, and as the reversal of the shed ends 

 contintied from dav to dav, she soon had two 



Phutu by 11. T. Mid.lkluu 



yOUNG ROBIN 



nests and two sets of eggs. When I last heard 

 from her, she was constantly sitting on that 

 particular nest which happened to be for the time 

 being in the end of the shed facing the south. 

 The bewildered bird evidently had had no experi- 

 ence with the tricks of turntables." 



The Robin's song has, perhaps, been a little 

 overpraised, doubtless because of its signifi- 

 cance in the spring. It is, in fact, a cheerful 

 rather than a inelodiijus warble. com]iosed of 

 ascending and descending phrases, the final one, 

 it must be admitted, likely to end in imper- 

 fect vocalization which suggests a lack of con- 

 trol of the vocal cords, and produces an efTect 

 not unlike that of the ludicrous break in the 

 tones of a lad whose voice is changing. The 

 call note also is bright and incisive rather than 

 musical. 



Another characteristic note of the Robin is 

 sounded when danger is at hand, especially in 

 the form of a cat. This is a peculiar, wailing 

 cry, in a sort of undertone, and exjjresses both 

 fear and sorrow. Very likelv it may be evoked 

 by other enemies, but it more often means a cat 



and a ver_v young Robin nearby. The bird's 

 foreboding tinder tliese conditions is reallv 

 pitiful; for usually it displays great courage 

 when its young are threatened in the nest, and 

 frequently will swoop down on a prowling cat 

 and actually strike it with its beak, meanwhile 

 shrieking and screaming incessantly. This to-do 

 often attracts other birds, who make common 

 cause with the Robin against their common 

 enemy, with the result that puss may be literally 

 driven away. 



Incredible though it may seem, until within 

 a few years ago, the Robin was classified, in 

 several of the southern States, as a " game bird," 

 and as such was killed in countless thousands for 

 food or for " sport." This slaughter of a beauti- 

 ful and highly useful song bird is now forbidden 

 bv the Federal Migratory Bird Law, which 

 ijccame a statute on March 4, 1913, and under 

 which all migratory game and insect-eating birds 

 are made wards of Uncle Sam. 



Spencer Trotter says that " Our American 

 Robin was known to the early southern colonists 

 as the ' fieldfare ' and is so termed by Catesby. 

 The bird has many of the qualities of its British 

 congener." 



The economic status of the Robin probably 

 has received more attention than that of any 

 other bird. There is no denying the fact that 

 the bird eats or injures a great amount of small 

 fruit, especially cherries and berries in their 

 season. On the other hand, it is equally certain 

 that the Robin destroys enormous quantities of 

 noxious insects. Nor should it be forgotten that 

 the bird's raids upon cultivated fruits and berries 

 are due largely to the destrtiction by man of the 

 wild fruits and berries (especially wild cherries) 

 which form part of its natural and preferred diet. 



An examination of 350 stomachs of Robins 

 shows that over 42 per cent, of its food is animal 

 matter, principally insects, while the remainder 

 is made up of small fruits and berries. Over 

 Kj per cent, consists of beetles, about one-third 

 of which are useful ground beetles, taken mostly 

 in spring and fall, when other insects are scarce. 

 Grasshoppers make up about one-tenth of the 

 whole food, but late in August comprise over 30 

 per cent. Caterpillars form about 6 per cent., 

 while the rest of the animal food is made up of 

 various insects, with a few spiders, snails, and 

 angleworms. All the grasshoppers, caterpillars, 

 and bugs, with a large portion of the beetles, 

 are injuriotis, and it is safe to say tliat noxious 

 insects comprise more than one-third of the 

 Robin's food. 



