""^T''] PKOCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 635 



don, April 20, 1882 (Wood). Shell River: 1885, first seen, two, on 

 AprillS; next seen, thirteen, on April 17; became common on April 

 24; male and female in flock; common all summer and breeds here 

 (Calcutt). Qu'Appelli : Common summer resident; flocks of four or 

 five about April 12 (Guernsey). Severn House, Trout Lake Station: 

 The color is unusually bright in the specimens received (Murray). 



On April 28, 1882, drove to the spruce brush ; the country seems flooded 

 with robins; the last mile of prairie, just before entering on the wooded 

 and sand hill region, was covered with an immense straggling flock. 

 They were to be seen chiefly on the ground or making short flights. 

 The general movement of the flock was northward. There must have 

 been several thousands of birds in it. 



On July 11, 1883, among the sand hills on the Portage Trail, I found a 

 robin's nest; it was placed about 4 feet from the ground in a small iso- 

 lated spruce, and contained three eggs which would have hatched within 

 a week. This may have been a second brood. 



Its song is first heard in the morning when the dawn is well advanced, 

 the robin being more tardy to raise the matin song than many of his 

 compeers. It is heard until the middle of Ihe forenoon, then usually 

 ceases until near sunset, when it recommences and continues until dusk. 

 I have not yet noted this species singing by night. If when singing the 

 bird be slightly startled by some noise close at hand, the loud cheery 

 note is stopped, or at least altered, so that, although the song goes on, 

 it is very faint and sounds as though coming from a great distance, and 

 a close inspection will show the bird's bill to be shut. This was first 

 pointed out to me by Dr. Brodie, but I have noted the same habit in 

 several other species. 



The loud rolling notes will remind Europeans of the voices of the Song 

 Thrush and Blackbird, but there is a terminal bar of frequent occurrence 

 that recalls the metallic notes of our own Wood Thrushes and reminds 

 us of their near kinship to the Ked-breasted Fifer (Toronto, 1885). 



I have several times noticed that a nest containing young robins was 

 lined with an inner coating of fibers, but can not say that this was 

 added after the hatching of the young. 



A friend informed me of a curious circumstance relative to a brood 

 of this species. He had watched the old ones building in a silverbark 

 or poplar, but shortly after the young were hatched he observed that 

 the parents ceased to show themselves. After a little he climbed the 

 tree and found in the nest the remains of the four young ; nothing but 

 the skins, all in shape with great staring eyes, but perfectly hollow and 

 dried with the sun, while in and about them were hordes of ants, evi- 

 dently the devourers if not the destroyers of the callow brood. 



266. Sialia sialis. Bluebird. Blue Robin. 



Rare summer resident; chiefly about the large towns. Winnipeg: 

 Rare summer visitor (Hine). Red River Valley: Summer resident; 

 tolerably common; noted a number of nests last year, 1884, inside city 



