No. 4.] REPORT OF STATE ORNITHOLOGIST. 189 



Last summer, as soon as the first robins appeared, the family 

 eat was kept in the shed, other eats were watched and warned. The 

 few other enemies to nests were watched aiid appropriately treated. 

 Crumbs were scattered on rocks and bare places. 



Where the year before only one robin's nest could be found, 21 

 robins' nests were counted. Forty other birds' nests were found in 

 the same area, where very few were the year before. 



Robins watch and defend their nests vigorously from enemies, 

 so the little birds like to build near robins. For instance, a robin 

 angrilj^ drove off a jay, as soon as it appeared in sight of the 

 robin's nest. The jays left that vicinity from that day. So many 

 little nests were saved by one robin. Probably we are greatly in 

 need of robins' help for defense of this kind. 



One hundred and twenty-two birds and their young on a few 

 acres nearest the house make the country interesting. 



Elm-leaf beetles are not troubling our trees, and we have no 

 bi'own-tail moths this spring. Perhaps that, however, is because we 

 hang out suet for woodpeckers in winter and attract them. That is 

 another story. 



It was my intention, as noted in my annnal report for 

 1910, to attempt to colonize a large number of birds in some 

 tract infested by the gypsv moth and the brown-tail moth and 

 to report the result ; but the Commissioners on Fisheries and 

 Game asked the Legislature of 1911 to authorize them to 

 undertake a similar work, and their petition was granted. 

 Under the circumstances it seemed best not to duplicate that 

 work in this department, but rather to encourage individuals 

 to colonize birds on their own estates. Many people in most 

 of the counties of the Commonwealth are now experimenting 

 in this way. Hon. John E. Thayer of Lancaster, IMass., has 

 put up many nesting boxes, destroyed the enemies of the 

 birds, and driven out the English sparrows, with splendid 

 results. He says that he never has had so many birds as now 

 remain to nest, altliough he sprays his trees. Mr. Wm. H. 

 Browning has put up about 200 nesting boxes of the Von 

 Berlepsch pattern at his place at Rye, Long Island, T^. Y,, 

 most of which have been occupied by birds. Mr. Horatio 

 Hathaway and some of his neighbors in Dedham, Dr. John C. 

 Phillips of Wenham, and Mr. William P. Wharton of Groton 

 are experimenting with the Von Berlepsch nesting boxes, and 

 Mr. Wharton has planted shelter thickets after the Von 

 Berlepsch plan. 



