THRUSHES 



239 



X'egetable food forms nearly 58 per cent, of 

 the stomach contents, over 47 being wild fruits, 

 and onlv a little more than 4 per cent, being 

 possibly cultivated varieties. Cultivated fruit, 

 amounting to about -'5 per cent., was found m 

 the stomachs in June and July, but only a trifle 

 in August. Wild fruit, on the contrary, is eaten 

 in everv month, and constitutes a staple food 

 during half the year. The depredations of the 

 Robin seem to be confined to the smaller and 

 earlier fruits. 



In view of the fact that the Robin takes ten 

 times as much wild as cultivated fruit, it seems 

 unwise to destroy the birds to save sci little. Xnr 

 is this necessary, for by a little care both may 

 be preserved. \\'here much fruit is grown it i-- 

 no great loss to give up one tree to the birds; 

 and in some cases the crop can be protected l)y 

 scarecrows. \Miere wild fruit is not abundant, 

 a few fruit-bearing shrubs and vines judiciously 

 ])lanted will serve for ornament and |)rovide food 

 for the birds. The Russian mulberry is a vigor- 

 ous grower and a profuse bearer, rijiening at 

 the same time as the cherry, and, so far as obser- 

 vation has gone, most birds seem to prefer its 

 fruit to anv other. It is believed that a number of 

 these trees planted around the garden or orchard 

 would fully protect the more valuable fruits. 



Two variant forms of the American Robin 

 occur within the bounds of the United States. 

 The Southern, or Carolinian, Robin ( Plancsticiis 

 vilgratorius achnistcnis) is smaller in size and its 

 color is paler and duller. It is found in the south- 

 eastern States. The other is called the West- 



ern Robin (Planesticus iitigratorins propinqiiiis). 

 It ayera,ges slightly larger than its eastern con- 

 gener, and the gray of its upjjer parts is a little 



ROBIN ENTERING NEST 



more olive and the red of the under parts paler. 

 Ic is found from Alaska tn Mexico and from the 

 Pacific coast to the Great Plains. 



VARIED THRUSH 

 Ixoreus nasvius naevius (iinu-lin) 



Other Names. — Oregon Robin; Alaska Robiii. 



General Description. — Length, 10 inches. Upper 

 I)arts, slate color ; under parts, tawny and white, crossed 

 by a band of slate-black. Bill, much shorter than head, 

 slender, and nearly straight ; wings, rather long and 

 pointed ; tail, shorter than wing, even. 



Color. — Adult M.\le: Above, plain slate color, the 



feathers, especially those of crown and back, sometimes 



(in certain lights) slightly darker centrally; wings 



(except lesser coverts) dusky, with slate-gray edgings, 



\oi,. III. — 17 



the middle coverts with a large terminal spot ( usually 

 triangular in form) of tawny, the greater coverts also 

 broadly tipped with the same (mostly on outer web), 

 the secondaries edged subterminally with a paler and 

 duller tint of the same, the primaries (except two or 

 three outermost) cinnamon-bufF on basal portion of 

 outer web and edged with the same half way to tip, 

 the outer web of secondaries also buff basally (con- 

 cealed by greater coverts), the inner feathers often 

 tipped with pale butTy ; two or three outermost tail- 



