18 EEDBEEAST. 



appreciation of time has been observed by others. 'Robins,' 

 says Mr. Thompson, 'and other small birds seem to have a 

 good idea of time, as evinced by their coming to particular 

 spots at the period of the day when food is given to them, 

 and in some cases at none other.' 



But if apparently unfriendly with other birds, and quarrel- 

 some with those of his own kind, with us he is familiar and 

 on the best of terms, and though the instances of this on 

 record must be few indeed compared with those that have 

 not been thus noticed, yet they are most amply abundant to 

 give him a character which no other bird possesses. 



It may often be noticed how nearly one will approach to 

 some poor man at work upon the high-roads, the crumbs 

 from whose frugal meal he has doubtless been made, or has 

 made himself a partaker of. Others, accustomed to be fed at 

 a window-sill, have often been known to tap at the window 

 if shut, as if to remind their friends of their wants. In one 

 instance, recorded in the 'Zoologist,' page 1211, Mr. Eobert 

 M. Lingwood mentions one which thus tapped at a window 

 without any previous acquaintance with the owners of the house 

 to which it belonged: 'The following is an instance of re- 

 markable tameness in a Eobin: I was sitting in a room 

 with a blazing wood fire, when my attention was attracted 

 by two or three taps at the window opposite the fire-place, 

 which I found were caused by a Robin. I opened the window, 

 and in a few minutes, the bird flew direct into the room, 

 and after surveying the different parts of it, commenced feeding 

 on the flies in the window; I put some crumbs on the floor, 

 and he almost directly began to feed on them, and then 

 commenced singing; he stayed in the room about twenty 

 minutes, and then took his departure, having shewn no signs 

 of fear, and affording myself and others much pleasure.' 



The following occurs in 'The Naturalist,' old series, volume 

 iii, page 44: 'Early in winter, a Eobin was seen to frequent 

 a mulberry tree close to the window of the late Mr. Haydon's 

 printing office, (the father of the late well-known artist,) 

 where it sang very sweetly. The workmen opened the window, 

 and at length the bird flew in, and being fed, did not seem at 

 all uneasy of its new situation. It sang almost daily, generally 

 in the morning and evening, wholly disregarding the operations 

 of the workmen, and apparently well satisfied with its new 

 companions, until the following spring. The window being 

 opened at that season, it flew away, but, singular to say, 



