54 MUTTON BIRDS 



an agitated hen Robin greeted me with a loud 

 series of alarm notes. There was a full- 

 feathered nestling in the room who declined to 

 leave b}^ the great open chimney used by the 

 parent birds as their route of entrance and exit. 

 In the nest lay one addled egg. 



On the third week in November I got another 

 Robin's nest. It was built just beneath the 

 roof of the narrow lean-to of this same hut, and 

 contained five eggs. We saw much of our little 

 house-mates; and I was especially interested in 

 the hen's manner of incubation, for sometimes 

 she would warm her five eggs and sometimes she 

 would allow them to become stone cold. Her nest 

 was above the door and, as we passed many times 

 each day directly beneath her, and within a few 

 feet of the eggs, very soon she paid us the com- 

 pliment of disregard. 



Her habits were in no way affected by our 

 presence in the island, yet sometimes she would 

 appear to be sitting hard and other times the 

 eggs would be, as I have said, quite cold. 



This alternate raising and lowering of the 

 temperature of the eggs continued for four or 

 five days after the full clutch had been laid. 

 I)u]'ing these days once I know the eggs w^ere 

 deserted for several hours, and on another 

 occasion the hen w^as off as late as eight o'clock 

 in the evening, and only returned, I judged, 

 after several sharp calls from the cock, who 

 never left the vicinity I believe. Later the hen 

 began to sit very close, and no doubt aftei* our 

 departure safely reared her brood. 



I suppose each species has its own method, 

 but although eggs — the well-incubated eggs — of 

 many species are left for considerable periods 



