Sec. 11.] BIRDS. 189 



" It will be seen by tliis account, that quite a young robin died from 

 starvation, because it was allowed but eight or ten earth-worms a day. The 

 survivor was afterward treated more generously, and his fare was increased 

 from day to day, till he had for his dinner OS worms, or 34 dwt., though the 

 robin himself weighed only 2-i dwt., thus consuming in twelve hours 41 per- 

 cent, more than ids own weight. 



" After the bird was fully grown, he continued to eat one third of his own 

 weight in clear flesh daily ! A man with such voracity (inferior, however, 

 we have seen to that of the young bird while growing) would have some 

 difficulty in finding board in any of our cities. But nature is not obliged to 

 go to market to sustain her children with comfortable food. This same 

 robin, if permitted to be free to satiate his prodigious appetite, not chiefly 

 on cherries or other fruits valued by man, but upon man's enemies, would 

 range himself on the side of man, and slaughter the numberless insects of 

 every variety which are destructive to his crops. Here we have reason to 

 be grateful for the prodigious appetite of the robin, and thank him for his 

 extraordinary gormandism. This guest at the tabic of nature is addressed 

 in very dill'erent language from guests generally. She says to liim. Will you 

 take something further ? pray don't spare, but help yourself to the spider, the 

 canker-worm, the. measurer, the caterpillar, grub, slug, and bug, and help 

 yourself also to a score or two of curculio's eggs. Thus, ' more the merrier' • 

 is the sentiment of nature's feast. How the insect tribe, and all the wicked 

 fry who infest our fruits and cereal crops, fall before the all-devouring robin ! 

 Even the ugly bug that is said to infest and feed upon the tubers and tops 

 of the potatoes, producing thereby the blight or rot, might be exterminated, 

 if the robin and other birds were not destroyed or frightened away by boys, 

 (ir men as stupid or mischievous as boys. 



" For what had been remarked of the voracity of the robin, is probably 

 true with respect to other birds. Men have but recently come to the knowl- 

 edge that they are the nujst efl'ectual protectors they can have of their fruits 

 and crops ; but nobody till now has been aware of the full extent of the 

 obligation they are under to even a few birds in consequence of their being 

 such enormous eaters. If their board costs them anything, they never could 

 be able to stand it. But it does not — only now and then a life or two among 

 them, taken by some rascal or vagabond, who should be their true benefac- 

 tors, for they are busy in the service of man." 



This bird, the robin, is i)riil)ably known to nearly every one M-ho will 

 read this volume ; but wc will add the following short description : 



The rul)in measures nine inches ami a half in leiigtii. His bill, which is 

 about an inch long, is strong, yellow, and dusky near the tip ; the liead, back 

 of the neck, and tail are black ; the back and rumji, ash color ; the throat 

 and upper part of the breast are black, the former streaked with white ; tho 

 whole of the rest of the breast down as far as the thighs is of a dark orange ; 

 belly and vent, white ; legs, dark brown ; claws, black and strong. 



It builds a large nest, often on an apple-tree, which it plasters on tho 



