96 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. 



rambles about the farm and neighbourhood, for a week or two 

 past, I have observed many things worth noticing. 



F. — I, too, have not walked with my eyes shut : but 

 what tokens of spring's advance have you observed since our 

 last walk ? 



C. — About a fortnight ago. the Robin appeared : I saw a 

 flock then, and since that time I have observed several flocks. 

 They are hopping very familiarly about the wet grass-lands, 

 and the ploughed fields, searching, as I suppose, for worms 

 and insects. He is commonly called the Robin, though I 

 perceive no resemblance between him and our English ro- 

 bin, except in the single circumstance of his having a red 

 breast. 



F. — The American Robin is a species of thrush (Turdus 

 Migratorius). In Newfoundland, where it is very common, 

 it is always called the Blackbird. It is a saucy, familiar 

 bird, fond of man's neighbourhood, and more seen in our 

 fields and gardens than in the woods. Its song is not con- 

 temptible, but by no means comparable to that of the Song 

 Sparrow. The robin is a very general favourite, but this does 

 not protect him from the assaults of any idle boy that can 

 procure a gun. The flesh is savoury, and great numbers of 

 them are shot for the table ; in Newfoundland especially, a 

 constant warfare is carried on against them, without any 

 apparent diminution of their numbers. 



C. — About the same time I saw the first butterflies this 

 season. In the woods, a small brown one flew by me, but I 

 was in a hurry, and could not stay to pursue it. The same 

 afternoon, I saw two, one of which I caught, and found it to 

 be the Green Comma (Grapta Progne ?). Three or four 

 days ago, I saw the Compton Tortoise Butterfly (Vanessa 

 J, Album), and the noble Camberwell Beauty (Van. An- 

 tiopa). 



F. — These are fine butterflies, both in size and colour. 



