The Robin 211 



but on May second the serious business of incubation 

 began. In this the female took the most active part, 

 being relieved about an hour and a half each day by 

 the male, and with one exception she covered the 

 eggs at night, although there was no apparent reason 

 why the male should have assumed the responsibility 

 on this particular night. Sometimes the male brought 

 food to the female while she was on the nest. 



On the eleventh day after incubation began, the 

 first young robin appeared, and two days later the 

 other three eggs were hatched. The young birds 

 grew very rapidly, and in twelve days were ready to 

 leave the nest. During the time the young were in 

 the nest the old birds constantly took food from the 

 board, particularly worms. The young robins were 

 quite tame at first, but, as time went on, gradually 

 grew wilder, and finally disappeared altogether on 

 June fifteenth. We often saw the female about the 

 house, and the first week in July the old nest was used 

 again for a second brood, which was reared without 

 accident. 



There being no distinguishing marks on the male, 

 he was lost sight of on August twentieth. The female 

 was last seen on September twenty-sixth. The dis- 

 appearance of the old birds ended the observations for 

 the year. The results had been successful beyond 



