94 Birds of Buzzard's Roost 



still farther north. Therefore each robin undoubtedly migrates 

 at a faster rate than the apparent movement of his species as a 

 whole, and does not fall behind the advancing season. This is 

 true of most if not all, of the other seemingly slow migrants. 

 Late and rapid journeys of this kind offer certain advantages ; 

 fewer storms are encountered, the mortality rate is lowered, 

 food is more plentiful along the way, and the birds reach the 

 nesting site full of energy, bubbling over with song, and in 

 good condition to assume the cares and labors of home build- 

 ing and brood raising." The robin winters sparringly in shel- 

 tered localities to about 40 degrees north, but the great body of 

 the birds spend the winter months in the territory between 36 

 degrees north and the Gulf of Mexico. In their winter homes in 

 the southland the bird is regarded as a tender morsel to be 

 made an integral part of a stew or pot pie. In Tennessee are 

 large tracts of cedars, the berries of which serve to attract 

 myriads of robins in the winter. It is said that one small 

 hamlet in this district sends to market annually about 120,000 

 birds. 



Robins breed throughout their extensive range north of a 

 line running through Kansas and Virginia, excepting the ex- 

 treme northern Arctic regions. In the Middle West they usu- 

 ally begin nest building during the first half of April. The nest 

 is built of twigs, grass, strings, paper fibres with much mud 

 lined with fine grass, and is a bulky affair. One that was built 

 in a maple in front of Elmhurst had dangling from it a long 

 white ribbon, and a friend told me about another that had a 

 lace handkerchief for its foundation. It requires about a week 

 to build the nest and they are most generally found either on 

 the branch or in a crotch of a tree, but frequently in other odd 

 places. When a boy I found many of them on the flat rails of 

 our worm fences. At Somerleaze we have had one in the eaves 

 trough to the carriage house and another on the cross railing 

 of our veranda. A clutch of eggs ranges from three to six and 

 they are of the color known as robin's egg blue. One egg, 

 usually, is laid each day. About thirteen days are required for 

 incubation, and the young robins remain in the nest twelve or 

 thirteen days. Two broods are reared in each year, and occa- 

 sionally three. The parent birds are very devoted to their 



