208 BIRDS OF THE PUBLIC GARDEN 



The males which come first seem not to 

 give themselves over to song, but they are 

 heard occasionally singing. Bleak winds 

 continue for many days after the first mild 

 spell of weather which inspired the early 

 comers, and the temperature falls on many 

 mornings considerably below the freezing 

 point. So these earlier birds much of the 

 time lack incentive to sing until the warmer 

 mornings come. Then they will be heard 

 in chorus in response to higher ranges of 

 temperature and the arrival and presence 

 of the females. This chorus singing in all 

 its combined power, however, occurs in the 

 very early morning, indeed before sunrise. 

 So, should you remark in early May to a 

 patrolman whose beat is through the Gar- 

 den, "I do not hear the Robins sing 

 much," he will reply, " You should have 

 been here about 3.30 o'clock this morning; 

 that is the time they sing." Some birds are 

 inspired in the later hours of the morning, 

 but the universal song is given only at the 

 early hour. 



In October a few lingering Robins are 



