62 THEROBIN. 



that of joy and hope into despair, but seemed wholly inea 

 pable of comprehending or relieving the distress of his mate 

 In a second instance, I have been told that a femal«^ hsu 

 been observed dead in the like predicament. 



THE ROBIN. (Turdvs mtgratortw.) 



This well-known bird, being familiar to almost every- 

 body, will require but a short descriptipn. It measures 

 nine inches and a half in length ; the bill is strong, an inch 

 long, and of a full yellow, though sometimes black, or 

 dusky near the tip of the upper mandible ; the head, back 

 of the neck, and tail, is black j the back and rump, an ash 

 colour; the wings are black, edged with light ash; the 

 inner tips of the two exterior tail-feathers are white ; three 

 small spots of white border the eye ; the throat and uppei 

 part of the breast is black, the former streaked with white ; 

 the whole of the rest of the breast, down as far as the 

 thighs, is of a dark orange; beJy and vent, white, slightly 

 waved with dusky ash ; legs, dark brown ; claws, black and 

 strong. The colours of the female are more of the light 

 •sh, less deepened with black ; and the orange on the breast 

 18 much paler, and more broadly skirted with white. 



The name of this bird bespeaks him a bird of passage, 99 



