328 KNOWING BIRDS THROUGH STORIES 



a rose bush that climbed over the front porch, and it was 

 there that I had opportunity to learn more about him than 

 ever before. The robin must be the proverbial early bird 

 that catches the worm. At any rate he is up and chirping 

 with the first streak of dawn, struts about on the lawn 

 for a few moments, and before broad daylight is off to a 

 pasture or meadow in search of his breakfast. Alighting 

 on the ground, away he goes hoppety-hop, jumping up and 

 down on the ground as hard as possible, making several 

 hops without traveling more than a foot or two, and then 

 stopping to peer very carefully at the ground near by. I 

 used to wonder why robins travel in this particular way, 

 and it was not until a few years ago that I discovered the 

 secret. I had left the soil in one bench in our greenhouse 

 two years without disturbing it, as I had a number of 

 plants growing there that bloom better the second year 

 than the first. In the spring I decided to mix this soil 

 with fresh soil and to use it in potting young bedding 

 plants. 



I went to the greenhouse one morning before sunrise, 

 piled some fresh dirt on a corner of this bench and started 

 potting plants. I had not noticed any angleworms when I 

 began, but in only a few minutes a number were crawling 

 over the surface of the ground, while others were sticking 

 their heads and part of their bodies out of their holes. I 

 had two or three pet baby chickens and thinking they 

 might enjoy some fresh worms for breakfast, I brought 

 them in, intending to let them run over the bench while 

 I worked. I was gone only a few minutes, but when I re- 

 turned there was not a worm in sight, so I dropped the 

 chickens on the greenhouse floor, where they ran back and 

 forth looking for anything they might find, and I again 



