THE OOLOGIST. 



93 



171. La7'us argentntus S7m'tlis07rianvs. American Herriuf^ Gull. Noted a single 

 specimen at the shore of Lake Ontario near the n.onth of Johuson's Creek, August 7, 1888 



172. Di/tes arttus. Horned Grebe. This species is reported by Langille as a mi- 

 grant in April and October 



173. Podilymbus. podiceps. Thick. billed Grtbe. Not uncommon summer resident 

 Breeds alonp; lake Ontario. 



174. Uolyvibus tx/i'quatus. Loon. Not uncommon migrant. Have seen it during 

 the first days of May. 



SUMMARY OF THE ABOVE LIST. 



Resident species 14 



Summer resident 84 



Migrant 46 



Winter visitant 9 



Stragglers 4 



Unclassified, i. e., cannot be classified with certainty 17 



Total 174 



Number of species that have been known to breed within the county 8JI 



• ■ — • ^» • — a — 



The Robin. 



The Robin, Twrdus migratoi^ous, is one of 

 our very common species of birds. His 

 dress and habits are so well known to all 

 our readers that a detailed description will 

 be unnecessary. 



How eagerly we look for his first appear- 

 ance in Spring! He is among the first 

 arrivals, following usually ihe Sparrows 

 and Bluebirds. After he has arrived, we 

 feel that the "icy hand of Winter " is 

 relaxing and it will soon be removed from 

 the streams and fountains. Then all 

 nature will quickly respond to the warm 

 breath of Spring; the buds will swell and 

 burst; the flowers bloom; other birds will 

 come; and all will Join in a general thanks- 

 giving for deliverance. What melodious 

 notes issue from his throat, when mounted 

 ou the topmost bough of some tall tree 

 near our dwellings. How inspiring his 

 song! How it thrills the nerves of a lover 

 of nature! He is now seen at his best. It 

 will soon be time for him to commence 

 housekeeping. After he has helped pre- 

 pare a home, his time will be fully occupied 

 in attending to the wants of his mate and 

 his little family which will soon appear. 

 The robins commence to build their nest 

 not far from the first of May. They are 

 made of straw, dried grasses, weeds, mud 

 etc., lined with finer grasses. The blue 

 eggs, usually four in number, soon appear. 

 The eggs are hatched in a short time. Then 



the robins' work begins. The nest is built 

 in some tree, on some fence, under some 

 shed, on a root under some bank, or just 

 where it pleases the fancy of the bird to 

 build. 



Last summer while visiting my old home 

 in Buckland, Mass., I discovered what I 

 called a curiosity in the birds' nest line. I 

 will call it a double Robin's nest: 



It was built ou a board nailed to two 

 upright joists under my brother's wagon 

 shed. Old horseshoes, chains, etc. have 

 been hung on this board for years; and 

 someone took down or hung up something 

 there very often during the busy season of 

 the year. I am sorry to say it was desert- 

 ed when I found it, so I couldn't watch 

 the birds and unravel the mystery. There 

 were two perfectly formed nests built 

 closely together and interwoven at the 

 bottom . In one nest there were four eggs; 

 in the other, one. I couldn't see anything 

 wrong about either nest or eggs to cause the 

 birds to leave one and build the other by 

 its side. Could there any such thing 

 happen as that the male robin had two 

 mates and they built side by side ? Have 

 two pairs of Robins been known to build 

 side by side, so that the nests are united at 

 the bottom and separate at the top ? These 

 are questions I submit to the readers of the 

 OoLOGisT for explanation. Have any cf 

 you found similar structures? Any one 

 who has taken the time to watch a pair of 

 robins feed their young, can get a little idea 



