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Dr. E. Hopkinson.



ROBINS.


By Dr. E. Hopkinson.


The “ Robin,” “Robin Redbreast,” the home-bird of Britain,

has lent his name and had it carried everywhere throughout the

world, that is to every place where Britons have made their homes,

and that one can truly say is the wide, wide world.


In North America the “Robin” is the American Thrush

(Turdus migratorius), which is also popularly known as the “ Red¬

breast,” “Robin Redbreast.” Here also these names are commonly

applied to the Bluebird {Sicilia). In the West Indies “ Redbreast,”

“ Robin Redbreast ” indicate the Todies, while in South America the

Marsh-Starling ( Leistes ), owes to his red breast the honour of this

name among the English speaking dwellers in that half-continent.


In Australia and New Zealand it was some of the Flycatchers,

which reminded, more by their habits than their colours, the early

settlers of the “ Robin ” they had left behind, and these ( Petroeca ,

Miro, etc.) to this day bear the familiar name.


Everywhere we may expect to find some “ Robin,” although

in many cases the bearer of this love-name, as one may call it, is a

bird which differs widely from its original. As an instance one may

take the Knot, which in a certain stage of plumage is popularly

known to gunners both at home and in North America under the

name, “ Robin,” “ Robin Redbreast,” or simply “ Redbreast.” The

Red-breasted Merganser, too, is another water-bird, with nothing

robin-like about it but the colour of its breast, which is also locally

known under the name of “ Robin.”


It is however when the name is used with qualifying epithets,

that its very wide distribution is brought most strikingly to one’s

attention, for thus used, it not only supplies popular or vernacular

names, but provides or has provided both old and modern writers

with suitable book-names for all sorts and conditions of birds, as

the following alphabetical list, in which vernaculars are distinguished

by their inclusion in inverted commas, attempts to show.


“ AMERICAN ROBIN,” Turdus migratorius.


“ BEACH ROBIN,” a local British and American popular name for the


KNOT ( Tringa canutus).


“ BLACK ROBIN ” in Australia is the Flycatcher, Petroeca bicolor. BLACK



