70° OUR BIRD ALLIES. 
marked. They thrust themselves through the rows 
of seedlings, overturning the sprouting seeds at the 
most critical period of their growth. They loosen 
the soil in the onion-beds, and diminish the re- 
sistance which is necessary for the due development 
of the bulbs. They perforate the leaves of young 
cabbages, cauliflowers, &c.; and even take down 
entire lettuces, when just planted out, into their bur- 
rows, destroying in this way the fruits of many an 
hour of labour. And when I mention that from 600 
square feet of newly-sown grass I lately took, in less 
than a week, no less than 1,650 large worms, which 
had rendered two previous sowings almost wholly 
abortive, it will be seen that the robin, in thinning 
their numbers in a garden, is really performing a 
beneficial act. 
On the other hand, the bird, when destroying the 
same creatures in the field, must be considered for the 
nonce as injurious. Undoubtedly. But, in the first 
place, the robin much prefers gardens to fields ; and,_ 
in the second, as the earth is less often turned over 
in the latter, the bird has there fewer opportunities of 
capturing worms. Considering the matter from every 
point of view, therefore, I think that we may safely 
look upon the robin as an almost unqualified bene- 
factor, and extend our protection to it, not merely on 
account of nursery tradition, but from the sense that 
it is to our best advantage to do so. 
Many of us are well acquainted with the nest of 
the robin, which is always situated on or near the 
ground, and generally contains five whitish eggs, 
