62 ENGLISH ROBIN. 



m 



to protect him. Even the American redbreast 

 lives unharmed, possibly on account of his connec- 

 tion with his English relation, whose oft-told charity 

 is mentioned in the good old ballad of the " Babes 

 in the Wood " whom Robin Redbreast " painfully " 

 did bury beneath the leaves : — 



" Leaves of all hues, gold, red, and green, 

 Ruins of summer bowers ; 

 A thousand times more beautiful 

 Than all her choicest flowers." 



In the winter, when the berries are gone, insects 

 dead, and the worms hidden under the hard-frozen 

 soil, then the robin flies for refuge to the habita- 

 tions of man for shelter and food. It is very amus- 

 ing to see the half-trusting, half-fearful look with 

 which he hops to the window-sill for the first time. 

 After a while he becomes bold, and taps at the win- 

 dow, if the expected crumbs are not thrown out. 

 He possesses a sweet warbling song, is very fond 

 of bathing, and should therefore be daily provided 

 with a bath ; but, when allowed to fly about a room, 

 care must be taken not to leave a pitcher or any 

 large vessel with water within reach, as he is very 

 apt to try to bathe in it, and frequently gets 

 drowned. Being a soft-bill bird, his food is the 

 same as the preceding birds. 



