22 KEDBKEAST. 



had built. About eight days after this, while I was sitting 

 in the parlour, my old friend flew in, and immediately 

 recognised me; after keeping him for two weeks, I put him out, 

 when he flew to the garden, where he remained during the 

 summer, and with his partner reared a brood of six fine 

 Robins.' 



The Robin, when accustomed to be undisturbed frequently 

 approaches very near to those who are working in gardens, 

 to pick up any insects which they may happen to disturb; 

 and will sometimes even alight on the edge of the basket 

 of a fruit-gatherer. One has been known to enter a room 

 where a person was writing, and perch upon the inkstand, 

 returning again after flying out, to sing some time; another 

 entered a room, and rested on the knee of a person sitting 

 there. A curious instance of somewhat analogous to reasoning 

 power in a bird of this species, is related in the 'Magazine 

 of Natural History,' volume viii, pages 545-6: 'It was ob- 

 served standing upon a bough which overhung a stream, and 

 intently watching some object which was floating down the 

 water. When it came opposite to him he darted down upon 

 it, took it in his claws, and was flying away with it, but 

 being too heavy for him, it fell again into the water. Not 

 to be thwarted, however, he again took his station upon 

 another bough lower down the stream; there he awaited the 

 arrival of the object, again repeated his former operation, and 

 finally bore away tne prize.' 



Occasionally one will alight on the shoulder of a person 

 sitting out of doors, or on the back of the rustic seat, and 

 sometimes venture to take food from the hand. In the winter 

 Robins will far from unfrequently enter a room, and continue 

 to frequent it for a month, and one has been known to enter 

 a cottage daily, even in summer, to seek the accustomed 

 crumbs which he had been in the habit of finding there. 

 Numerous indeed are the notices of the fearless confidence of 

 the Redbreast the natural cause of the favour with which 

 in all countries in Europe he is regarded. 



The former instances are those of English occurrence; 

 the following ones narrated by the late William Thompson, 

 Esq., of Belfast, in his 'Natural History of Ireland,' will 

 shew that there the Robin is the same as with us: 'In the 

 very mild winter of 1831-2, a Redbreast very frequently made 

 one at a breakfast table, helping itself to all that it wanted. 

 In summer it built in one of the outhouses, and visited the 



