8 THE SECOND BOOK OF BIRDS 
Robins are very easily made tame, and, when 
well treated and not shut up in a cage, they be- 
come fond of people and lke to live in our 
houses. I know of a robin who was picked up 
from the ground by a lady. He could not fly, 
and she took him into a house and brought him 
up. He was never wild or afraid of people, and 
he never wanted to be free. His mistress would 
sometimes put him on her hat, without fastening 
him in any way, and go out to walk with him 
there. He liked his ride, and never thought of 
leaving her. She often took him with her into 
a piece of woods where she went. He would 
play around on the ground and in the trees, but 
the moment she started for home he flew down, 
ready to go. 
She thought perhaps he would like to be free, 
and she tried once or twice to leave him in this 
pleasant grove, but he always flew to her and re- 
fused to be left. He was so fond of his mistress 
that when she went away for a day or two he 
was very unhappy, hid himself in a closet, and 
would not eat till she came back. 
This robin, too, hiked the food of the family, 
and did not care for earthworms. In fact, he 
could hardly be coaxed to eat one of them, 
though he liked some kinds of grubs which he 
found on the ground. But he ate them in a dif- 
