30 



these persons it is all that their anger and disappointment have 

 painted it ; but the interests of fruit-growers are small compar- 

 atively with those of farmers generally, and the whole life and 

 labor of the robin should be considered before it is condemned. 

 In an article on the economy of food of some of our birds, which 

 appeared in the Report of the United States Department of 

 Agriculture for 1867, 1 devoted considerable space to the robin, 

 and from the facts which I brought forward I will glean the 

 most important. From memoranda of the contents of the 

 stomachs of these birds, taken in different localities and in 

 different times, I found that through the months of January 

 and February the robin is beneficial, (taking units to represent 

 the relative qualities,) 21 units, by destroying noxious insects ; 

 injurious 4^ units, by devouring beneficial insects ; and neutral 

 33| units, its food consisting, in this proportion, of seeds and 

 berries. In March, it is beneficial 12|, injurious 1|-, and 

 neutral 17 units, feeding as before on injurious and beneficial 

 insects and larvee, but principally on seeds of uncultivated 

 trees and shrubs. Through April, May and June, I find that 

 for the reasons above mentioned it is beneficial 52 units, inju- 

 rious 8 units, and neutral 31 units. In July, it is less benefi- 

 cial than injurious, the food indicating that it is beneficial 9, 

 injurious 18, and neutral 4 units. Through the balance of the 

 year the food exhibits the greatest variety, but the most liberal 

 margin will allow the bird to be 48 units beneficial, 28 units 

 injurious, and 76 units neutral. In a general summary of the 

 above brief analysis, wo find that the robin is beneficial on the 

 farm 142 units, injurious 60 units, and neutral about 163 units. 

 From this we cannot but see that to the farmer, at least, the 

 robin is far from being a pest, and that it is worthy of protec- 

 tion. 



Did my space permit, I could give many pages from the 

 writings of various authors in support of this conclusion, but 

 such would be unnecessary. It is true as many pages could 

 be produced of complaints made by different fruit-growers, 

 against the bird, but they would advance no facts new to us. 

 Against the statement that is so often made, that earth-worms 

 constitute the principal portion of this bird's diet, when fruit 

 is not accessible, the simple fact appears that these worms are, 

 during the greater part of the season, so far below the surface 

 of the earth, because of the dryness of the soil, that they could 

 not be reached, I do not pretend to say that they are not often 

 eaten in great numbers, but I have no hesitation in pronounc- 

 ing a very large proportion of the worms which the bird is 

 seen to capture, to be cutworms and other noxious larvas, which 

 fact I have proved on a very great many occasions. 



Tiiere are a number of our other birds which have come 

 under the ban of ruralists, because of their real or supposed 



