6 BIRDS THROUGH AN OPERA-GLASS. 



and first flights ; keeping successive nestfuls of 

 gaping mouths supplied with worms all the sum- 

 mer through. 



His red breast is a myth and belongs to his 

 English namesake ; and it must be owned that 

 his is a homely reddish brown that looks red only 

 when the sunlight falls on it. His wife's breast 

 is even less red than his in fact, she looks as if 

 the rain had washed off most of her color. But, 

 perhaps, had they been beautiful they would have 

 been vain, and then, alas for the robins we know 

 and love now. When the children make their 

 debut, they are more strikingly homely than their 

 parents ; possibly because we have known the old 

 birds until, like some of our dearest friends, their 

 plainness has become beautiful to us. In any case, 

 the eminently speckled young gentlemen that come 

 out with their new tight-fitting suits and awkward 

 ways do not meet their father's share of favor. 



Perhaps the nest they come from accounts for 

 their lack of polish. It is compact and strong, 

 built to last, and to keep out the rain ; but with 

 no thought of beauty. In building their houses 

 the robins do not follow our plan, but begin with 

 the frame and work in. When the twigs and 

 weed stems are securely placed they put on the 

 plaster a thick layer of mud that the bird 

 moulds with her breast till it is as hard and 

 smooth as a plaster cast. And inside of all, for 

 cleanliness and comfort, they lay a soft lining of 



