26 My Garden Summer-Seat. 



and sweet-voiced little fellow. His song is at once 

 spontaneous and musical, gushing, tender, hurried in 

 parts, but very clear, penetrating, full of trills and 

 surprises, if you listen well. 



The robins are less particular, and do not trouble 

 themselves, beyond, sometimes, a loose screen of 

 leaves ; perhaps they know that they enjoy a grand 

 immunity in the superstitious fear of destroying their 

 nests or eggs, which is so widespread. And they 

 well reward the immunity they enjoy. Just when 



ROBIN BUILDING. 



most other birds get silent in the twilight, the robin 

 pours forth his finest ditty, rapid here and there, as 

 if he feared he would not have time to sing all he 

 wanted, and finish off properly, then, recovering, he 

 melts into the mellowest tones, and again becomes 

 bright, clear, and piercing. 



But most attractive of all to me for appearance is 

 the beautiful blue- tit, which has established a family 

 here, and often passes me like a winged bit of sky. 



