362 



Bird - Lore 



region. In my own experience they have 

 been very scarce ever since, and, so far as 

 I can learn, ihecxpcrienceofotherobservers 

 in eastern Massachusetts has been simihir. 

 This has led me to analyze the data of 

 BiRD-LoRic's Christmas Bird Censuses for 

 the last three years, so far as they concern 

 this species, and I present the results as 

 perhaps of some interest to ornithologists. 

 In 1916, out of 149 lists from states east 

 of the Rocky Mountains, there were 64 

 records of the Golden-crowned Kinglet, 

 with a total of exactly 500 individuals. In 

 1917, out of 131 lists from the same terri- 

 tory, there were 37 records and 337 indi- 

 viduals. In IQ18, however, there were 

 only 19 records out of 123 lists, and the 

 individuals numbered only 76. This shows 

 a marked falling ofT and seems to indicate 

 widespread destruction of Golden-crowned 

 Kinglets in the severe weather of the pre- 

 ceding winter or from some other cause. 

 There seems to be nothing to show that 

 the destruction was greater in the northern 

 than in the southern part of the bird's 

 winter range or vice vrrsa. From the re- 

 gion to the north of the southern boundary 

 of Pennsylvania, the Ohio River, and the 

 southern boundaries of Missouri and 

 Kansas, 275 individuals were reported in 

 1916, while 225 were reported from the 

 region south of that line. In 191 7 the 

 figures for the northern part were 160 and 

 for the southern part 177. In 1918 the 

 birds were evenly divided between the two 

 sections, 38 in the North and 38 in the 

 South. It is of interest to note that of the 

 177 individuals reported from the South 

 in 191 7, 150 were included in one list from 

 Washington, D. C, and 4 in another list 

 from the same city. — Francis H. Allen, 

 West Roxbury, Mass. 



A Brood of Young Robins 



I have read with not a little pleasure the 

 interesting letter of Grace L. S. Dyche, in 

 the July-August number of Bird-Lore, in 

 relation to the nesting of birds, particularly 

 Robins; and while I am unable to add any 

 information from personal experience as to 

 Robins using the same nest a second or 



third season — -a circumstance which I fancy 

 it would be somewhat dilTicult to demon- 

 strate — 1 have at least had the unusual 

 opportunity during the past summer of per- 

 sonally observing a brood of four young 

 Robins at the very instant when they left 

 the nest, and under highly diverting cir- 

 cumstances. 



Our summer home is situated on high 

 ground overlooking the sea, about three 

 miles outside of Gloucester, Mass., and 

 when we arrived there, about the middle 

 of June, we discovered that Mr. and Mrs. 

 Robin had already been making domestic 

 history while the sun shone and were ac- 

 tively occupied then in "teaching the 

 young idea" how to get along in the world 

 in a wind-swept section of Cape Ann where 

 the elusive worms do not abound. 



The nest from which the young Robins 

 had but recently taken their departure had 

 been shrewdly built in a protected angle 

 under the roof of the veranda of our cot- 

 tage, in plain view of our dining-room, from 

 which the domestic affairs of the little 

 family of visitors might readily be ob- 

 served. A few days after our arrival we 

 were surprised to see the female Robin on 

 the nest again, and in exactly twelve days 

 there appeared four more eggs, represent- 

 ing a second nesting in the same season by 

 these Robins, a circumstance entirely new 

 and novel to us. In less than a fortnight 

 later, four little Robins made their wel- 

 come appearance, and then our own do- 

 mestic concerns must, of course, be so ad- 

 justed as not to disturb or interfere with 

 these charming, if uninvited, guests. Our 

 presence now in the cottage, which had 

 hitherto remained unoccupied, so alarmed 

 the parent birds that, fearing thej' might 

 in their agitation forsake the youngsters, 

 we decided to close entirely that section of 

 the veranda until the time arrived to 

 "speed the parting guests;" and that is the 

 interesting moment that I am coming to. 

 One fine morning after breakfast our 

 attention was attracted by an extraordi- 

 nary commotion among the Robins, the 

 young birds adding their frightened notes 

 to the weird concert, as if by very instinct 

 they realized that the long season of re- 



