1 6 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND 



Robins arrive the first week in April ; and 

 their friendly calling from the dark fir tops is 

 always welcomed as the harbinger of spring. They 

 nest the last weeks in April, and raise two, some- 

 times three, broods in a season. Their nests are 

 not only built in low bushes and hedges, but on 

 the loftiest summits of the forest. The structure 

 is bulky, consisting largely of mud, lined outside 

 with coarse, and inside with fine vegetable fibres. 

 The eggs, three to five in number, are over an 

 inch in length, and of a uniform greenish blue 

 color, though speckled ones have been seen. 

 Robins feed chiefly on insects, worms, and grubs, 

 but are fond of ripe fruit from the garden. 

 When rearing their broods of young, they destroy 

 enormous quantities of insects, and are of the 

 greatest benefit to farmers. 



In the mild season of 1889 flocks were here 

 all winter. They wandered much, feeding on 

 rowan berries and other soft fruits. Early arrivals 

 feed about the shores and springs. In autumn, 

 when their nesting duties are over, they gather 

 in flocks, and frequent old pastures where worms 

 are plenty. The summer flocks leave the last of 

 October. 



