An Albino Robin Tragedy 9 



father bird, aiul from this linio on his prcsi'iice was made known by loud cries 

 of alarm. He was neither so conspit uous nor so solicitous a> his mate, and, con- 

 sequently, had heretofore escaped notice. He wa-^ not an albino, but was dressed 

 in the usual clothes of the Robin. 



It is a <|uestion as to who was more interested in those young birds, the 

 parents or myself. Mach new feather was anxiously examined with the ho]K' 

 of finding a tinge of white inherited from the mother. 'I'hev persisted in being 

 common everyday young Robins, and were still as othiTs of their tribe when a 

 tragedy occurred. 



The night of June 4 was windy and rainy, such a night as generall}' i)la( es 

 frail bird nests in great danger. l-"ears were expressed for the safety of the }-oung 

 Robins, and these i)roved to be only too well founded, for next day the nest pre- 

 sented a pitiful s|)ectacle. The young had evidently been left unprotected through 

 all that terrible night. They had cuddled up to one another as closely as possible, 

 but were helpless without their mother's warm feathers to shield them from the 

 cold and pelting rain. There, in the swaying tree top, the three deserted young 

 birds perished. The (jueslion arose as to wh_\- their ])arcnls should have left them 

 to the mercies of the storm. Two days later the reason for their ai)parenl deser- 

 tion was discovered. The birds' greatest enemy, the cat, had succeeded in catch- 

 ing the albino Rol)in, and her half-eaten body was found in a neighboring yard 

 where it had been left bv the feline destro\er. 



WH.\r iHi': CAT Li:i'T 



