THE ROBIN. 



It is only to mention this bird to call up at once its 

 well-known figure. Its most striking characteristic does 

 not, however, at first appear ; the nestling feathers of 

 young birds are spotted, and the red hue does not adorn 

 the breast for two or three months after they leave their 

 early home. 



No one of the feathered tribe is more generally a fa- 

 vourite than the robin. How truly is it said : — 



" The herdsman on the upland hill, 

 The ploughman in the hamlet near, 

 Are prone thy little paunch to fill, 

 And pleased thy little psalm to hear. 



" The woodman seated on a log, 



His meal divides atween the three ; 

 And now himself, and now his dog, 

 And now he casts a crumb to thee. 



" For thee a feast the schoolboy strews 

 At noontide, when the form 's forsook ; 

 A worm to thee the delver throws, 

 And angler when he baits the hook 



