ioo IN BIRD-LAND 



rally to thirst for the caged one's blood ! When 

 food is shown to him he immediately begins a 

 song and continues singing until the meal is 

 given. 



A volume might be filled with accounts of the 

 more or less strange habits of the Robin, but one 

 of the most singular, and a thing I have never 

 been able to understand, is its habit of pecking at 

 windows. I knew of one in my own district that 

 continually pecked at a pane of glass : the window 

 was opened, as it seemed that the bird wished to 

 enter, but this was evidently not the motive, for 

 the singular performance was still continued. 

 Food was plentiful round about ; the weather was 

 anything but cold, so that hunger could not have 

 prompted the action ; but nevertheless, so per- 

 sistently was this pecking at the glass kept up, 

 that one day spots of blood were seen on the pane 

 thus perseveringly attacked. The bird eventually 

 died at its work on the sill through loss of blood 

 caused by the breaking of a blood-vessel in con- 

 sequence of its exertions ! The only thing that I 

 can attribute this strange habit to is, that the 

 Robin must have seen itself reflected in the glass, 

 and have thought that this was another Robin. 

 They are a pugnacious species, resenting the intru- 

 sion of others of their own species in any garden in 



