Vermont Bird Club 23 



being in a tree was pitiful. He came back to the cage and I toolc him 

 home only to try again with the same result. This time he stayed 

 out over night, but found my sister and myself the next forenoon in a 

 field. He flew directly to us and ate my from my hand, remaining on 

 my finger as I went 4o the house. This was my last attempt at 

 liberating him, except that we often opened the cage door and he would ■ 

 stand in it but rarely came out. He was a charming pet and lived 

 until the next February, when the fumes of turpentine accidentally 

 ended his life. 



One year ago last June, two little friends of mine found a tiny 

 nestling at the foot of a tree and as no parent birds came to care for 

 him they put him in a nest of their own construction and gave him to 

 me. The little creature seemed nearly dead, having his eyes closed, 

 his head hanging sidewise and was scarcely able to move at all. It 

 seemed useless to try to feed him but for the sake of the kind care 

 of the little girls I opened his bill and gave him a little moistened 

 cracker. After a little he opened his bill for more and to my surprise 

 gained strength rapidly. His main food was cracker and milk which 

 he much preferred to earthworms, though we gave him quite a quan- 

 tity of them. He very soon refused them with a disgusted manner, 

 often taking them in his bill and throwing them to one side, at the 

 same time ruffling his feathers as is his habit when displeased. When 

 he became full grown he too was set free, but he did not show any 

 signs of being able to care for himself, always returning to the cage 

 for food and drink. He began to sing quite young but his song was 

 not in the least like a robin's. It was a medley of sweet sounds, often 

 ending in something quite like words. Later he copied the bluebird, 

 the blackbirds and had the bad taste to sing one phrase of a march 

 played on a phonograph across the way. Sometimes he would rival 

 an oriole in calling Peter ove-r and over and at last he began to 

 whisile, at first very low then loud and clear. This he caught from 

 hearing the dog called and has always kept it up. He whistles by the 

 hour, can be heard at a long distance, seems to enjoy this accom- 

 plishment very much, and so do a number of workmen who pass the 

 house and can get a response from him at any time in warm weather 

 by whistling first, unless he is hungry and is taking food. The last 

 musical lesson he learned was to sing a robin's song, which he does 

 very sweetly. Mr. Burrough's has said, I believe, that the robin's 

 song is not attuned to the house, that within four walls it is strident 

 and wild but in this instance at least, it is not so. A young blue jay 

 was cared for several weeks in a cage hanging near and after listen- 

 in to his rather discordant call, our robin with a knowing look I'e- 



