SOME OBSERVATIONS ON ROBIN NESTS 



By FRED L. CHARLES 



(Readers of the Review will recall the article by Miss Jessie R. 

 Mann, "Schoolroom Study of a Robin's Nest," published in the Nature- 

 Study Review, Vol. 4, No. 9, Dec., 1908. Miss Mann's paper discussed 

 the pedagogy and educational value of these studies in which she and 

 the writer cooperated. Because of the wide-spread interest manifested, 

 the following additional notes are presented, being an abstract of a paper 

 read before the Illinois State Academy of Science and printed in Vol. 

 II. of the Transactions of that body. That such complete data were se- 

 cured is due largely to the enthusiasm and ability of Miss Jessie R. 

 Mann, Assistant in Science, Northern Illinois State Normal School, De- 

 Kalb, Illinois. Readers are referred to the references given above for a 

 description of the two nests from which the following data were ob- 

 tained.) 



The nests are located in widely separated portions of the 

 building, the ^lay nest having an eastern exposure and the June 

 nest a northern. The observations were taken under absolutely 

 normal conditions, from within the building, the window (in 

 the second story, in each case) being raised after the first fev/ 

 day? and the observer sitting at ease at close range. 



The May nest was first noticed April 23 and was complet- 

 ed April zy. The first t^'g was laid during the forenoon of 

 April 29; the second, on April 30, between 9:45 and 10:32 a. m., 

 the female being on the nest during that period. The third and 

 last ^gg was laid between 10:45 ^^^ H-S^ a. m.. May i. The 

 female began sitting that afternoon and was on the nest the 

 greater part of the time through the cool or rainy days that fol- 

 lowed. The male was first seen May 8. Two of the young 

 were found hatched on the morning of May 14, and through- 

 out the day the male brought food, most of which was fed to the 

 yotmg by the mother bird, which left the nest occasionally btit 

 rarely brought food. These first feedings consisted chiefly of 

 earthworms, myriapods (?) and various lepidopterous larvae. 

 The third voung was hatched earlv on the following day (Mav 



15). 



All-day observations were made on May 19, 20 and 21. 

 thus giving complete data for the sixth, seventh and eighth 

 days in the life of the two older nestlings. Frequent observa- 

 tions — including the weight of the young — were made May 22- 

 25, and on May 26 all-day observations were resumed and con- 



