6 THE BIRD OF THE MORNING. 



but gathering worms till he had three or four 

 of the wriggling creatures hanging from his 

 firm little beak. Then he would fly to a low 

 branch, run up a little way, take another short 

 flight, and thus having, as he plainly intended 

 by this zigzag course, completely deceived the 

 observer as to his destination, he would slip 

 quietly to the nest and quickly dispose of his 

 load. In half a minute he was back again, run- 

 ning and watching, and digging as before. And 

 this work he kept up nearly all day. In si- 

 lence, too, for noisy and talkative as the bird is, 

 he keeps his mouth shut when on the ground. 

 In all my watching of robins for years in sev- 

 eral places, I scarcely ever heard one make a 

 sound when on the ground, near a human 

 dwelling. 



Once I was looking through blinds, and the 

 bird did not see me. He had, after much labor, 

 secured an unusually large worm, and it lay a 

 few inches away where it fell as he gave it the 

 final " yank." This was an extraordinary case ; 

 the robin was too full to hold in, and there 

 bubbled out of his closed bill a soft " Cheery ! 

 cheery ! be cheery ! " hardly above a whisper 

 and half frightened withal. Then snatching 

 the trophy he flew away, doubtless to show his 

 luck, and tell his tale at home. 



The robin has been accused of being quarrel- 



