BIRDS OF NEW YORK 53! 



second brood is started from May 30 to June 15, and oftentimes a third 

 brood from the ist to the igth of July. In one exceptionally early season 

 I found a Robin's nest with fresh eggs on the 3ist of March. The time 

 of incubation varies from 11 to 13 days and the young birds remain in 

 the nest about 12 days after hatching, sometimes leaving it in 10 days, 

 sometimes in 2 weeks. They are fed with a great number of caterpillars, 

 cut worms, white grubs and earthworms. As their appetite increases the 

 old birds seem to resort almost exclusively to angleworms, as a plentiful 

 supply of these can usually be obtained. As the young birds become 

 nearly feathered, ripe cherries are brought them, if they have not left 

 the nest before the cherry season arrives. I have watched the old birds 

 feed a nestful of 4 young ones ripe cherries at the rate of 16 to 30 an hour 

 and the young birds every few minutes would shake their heads and pump 

 their necks until they had regurgitated the cherry pits which would rattle 

 on the veranda floor like grape shot. By actual count the cherry pits 

 would rattle across the floor at the rate of 7 in 15 minutes. On several 

 occasions I have noticed that the old robins brought half ripe cherries 

 to the young who were unable to digest them in this condition and perished 

 accordingly. After the nesting season is past, robins seem to disappear 

 for a time from the gardens and dooryards, the old birds and young resorting 

 more to the woodlands and hedgerows and remote fields for feeding, and 

 as the fall season comes on they are found in the woods partaking of poke- 

 berries, black cherries and all kinds of wild fruit. They also become 

 much more wary and can not be approached as in the spring and summer 

 when they live about the garden. During the winter months, even in 

 central and western New York where heavy snow and a temperature 

 often below zero is recorded, the robins remain with perfect safety through- 

 out the winter provided they have swamps or cedar thickets or a sheltered 

 gully to which they may retreat and a convenient supply of wild grapes, 

 barberries, wild privet, poison ivy and juniper berries to furnish them 

 abundant nourishment. 



The vocal attempts of the Robin are more varied than those of any 



