126 RAMBLES ABOUT HOME. 



tending to within an inch, or a little more, of the rim or 

 top of the structure. 



In fourteen, the mud lining was more or less incom- 

 plete, although it always extended over the bottom of 

 the nest, or of so much of the interior surface as was 

 necessary for the eggs or very young birds to rest upon. 

 Without an exception, the fine grass and. hair lining the 

 interior of each nest were in greater proportion as the 

 mud lining was imperfect, so that, in some instances, the 

 mud being concealed, the nests were very similar to those 

 of other thrushes. 



The remaining seven nests were " abnormal," each of 

 them occupying a different position from that which the 

 robin is usually supposed to select. A careful study of 

 the surroundings, however, showed that there was always 

 some outside advantage, such as immediate proximity to 

 abundant food, which may have had some influence in 

 the choice of location. As an instance, one of these 

 seven nests was placed in a deep cleft in the trunk of an 

 apple-tree. It had a southern exposure, was protected 

 from rain by the trunk and branches of the tree, and 

 altogether was admirably located. But, as the tree itself 

 had an abundance of branches, which for many summers 

 had had robins' nests among them, there seemed to be 

 some reason why this particular location was now occu- 

 pied for the first time. "What was the cause of this 

 change from the branches to the cleft I could not dis- 

 cover. The nest itself was merely a few coarse twigs, 

 projecting about two inches from the trunk of the tree, 

 and intended for the necessary support of that portion of 

 the " clay fabric " not resting upon the tree itself. When 

 completed, the structure much resembled a modified cliff- 

 swallow's nest, such as these birds build under the eaves 

 of barns. 



