308 APPENDIX BY THE 



the house fly is more simple, provided by fine, hairy 

 appendages to the feet, by which they cling to the most 

 minute inequalities of our walls and windows. 



Flies feed chiefly on liquids, and the juice of solid sub- 

 stances ; they are also enabled to dissolve certain solids, 

 by means of a saliva, which they eject for the purpose, on 

 sugar, &c. The familiar sound produced by flies, comes 

 from their wings ; but as many winged insects move 

 silently, the air must act upon those of the fly in a 

 peculiar manner. 



NOTE "W. 



THE ROBIN, page 164. 



The two birds bearing, in England and America, the 

 same name of Robin red-breast, are in most respects very 

 different. The English robin, motacilla rubecoln, is much 

 the smaller of the two, is stationary throughout the year, 

 loses his red jacket in autumn, is little noticed for its song 

 in spring, but sings more or less even in winter ; and, very 

 possibly, while gathering the autumn leaves over the 

 " babes in the wood," sang their dirge with the pleasing 

 note so often alluded to, by English writers, as one of the 

 charms of the season : 



" But no\v with treble oft, 



" The red-breast whistles from some garden croft, 

 " And gathering swallows twitter in the air. 



Our American robin is a portly thrush, turdus migrato- 

 rius, wandering far and wide as soon as the cold weather 

 sets in ; it is one of our most chatty, loquacious birds 

 in spring, his voice being heard morning and evening 

 throughout April and May, above the notes of most of 

 his feathered neighbors, but he becomes silent and taci- 

 turn toward autumn. In one sense, he deserves the namo. 





