BIRDS OP THE WEST . 95 



have seen Mr. Robin hopping over a lawn( he doesn't walk as the 

 meadow lark does.) Suddenly he stops, turns his head sideways 

 as though he hears a worm crawling through the dirt, then stabbing 

 his bill into the earth he pulls forth a long earthworm without 

 breaking him. Don't you always break them when you dig fish- 

 bait and try to pull one out? 



It is too bad Lady Robin is such a dirty house keeper, but then 

 she has a mud house and it is harder to keep clean than most 

 houses. No wonder they love to bathe in the spray of a fountain! 

 A few years ago I was out bird hunting and came upon a nest of 

 dried grass and upon looking into it saw a robin's egg. There was 

 little chance to mistake the * ( robin-blue ' ' egg but who would dream 

 that a robin ever built a home without mud-plaster? Presently 

 Lady Robin appeared and confirmed my guess that it was her 

 home. But why no mud? Because, the poor things that very 

 dry season they couldn 't find any ; if they could it dried before they 

 could get it to the nest. Like other Dakotans of that time, 

 they were adjusting themselves to circumstances. Bad boys shoot 

 very many robins and if any one finds out ' * who killed Cock Robin ' ' 

 send word to me. Who was it do you say? "It was the Sparrow 

 with his bow and arrow?" Yes, that English sparrow again. 

 While he never kills the robin, I imagine he annoys him awfully. 

 A short time ago I saw a robin in the top of a tree singing away as 

 hard as he could and on an adjacent branch were a dozen English 

 sparrows who were listening to the music. They didn't like it be- 

 cause he had come but they didn't do much but "rubber" at him. 

 He didn 't care. He had a little spring poetry to recite and besides 

 he has the very important duty of playing the role of "harbinger 

 of spring. ' ' And how soon he is gone ! What is it Longfellow says? 



"Turn, turn my wheel 



All life is brief; 



What now is bud will soon be leaf ; 



What now is leaf will soon decay: 



Tomorrow will be another day. 

 The wind blows east, 

 The wind blows west, 



The blue eggs in the robin's nest 



Will soon have wings and beak and breast 



And flutter and fly away." 



