398 I'm ru. .1 > .' Robins [jvHy 



on the branch wholly out of the nest. The rest slump back into 

 the (.up and continually preen their feathers, scratch themselves, 

 stretch their wings or restlessly plunge about They now utter 

 a loud exclamatory "kwut." The parent arrives. All four young 

 stand up facing her. flapping their wings and " sizzling. " She goes 

 away ami returns at once from the cherry tree with a whole fruit. 

 She crams this down tirsi one throat and then another, sometimes 

 letting go of it for a second, sometimes retaining her hold. She 

 pulls it out again and again. Finally a young bird swallows the 

 cherry. 



July 8th. Three of the young birds left the nest in the early 

 morning. Great excitement in the family! The fourth remained 

 in the nest all day. He was fed regularly. I think, and the nest was 

 cleaned as usual. He may have flown in the evening, but the next 

 morning the nest was empty. 



The history of this pair of Robins illustrates the division of labor 

 practised by this species in rearing their young \die male assuming 

 the full charge of the first brood when they left the nest), and the 

 nice economy of time by which without the loss of a single day, 

 preparations for the second brood followed the fledging oi the first 

 Jour fertilised eggs being laid within six days after the young had 

 flown). 



When 1 read these notes at a meeting of the Xuttall Club, Mr. 

 Brewster said that while it was well known that adult Robins ate 

 the excrement of their young, he believed that the behavior of this 

 female bird was exceptional in that she fed upon the feeces to an 

 unusual extent. 



I should like to add a word on this subject; my notes might 

 Otherwise give the false impression that this Robin ate the faval sacs 

 solely in the evening. It was mere chance that I wrote my notes 

 chiefly at this time of day: at other hours, her behavior was the 

 same. 



