r«2 AMERICAN ROBIN. 



brador I saw some feeding on small shells, which they probed or broke 

 with ease. 



Toward the approach of spring they throw themselves upon the newly 

 ploughed grounds, into the gardens, and the interior of woods, the under- 

 growth of which has been cleared of grass by fire, to pick up ground- 

 worms, grubs, and other insects, on which, when perched, they descend 

 in a pouncing manner, swallowing the prey in a moment, jerking their 

 tail, beating their wings, and returning to their stations. They also now 

 and then pick up the seed of the maize from the fields. 



Whenever the sun shines warmly over the earth, the old males tune 

 their pipe, and enliven the neighbourhood Avith their song. The young 

 also begin to sing ; and, before they depart for the east, they have all be- 

 come musical. By the 10th of April, the Robins have reached the Middle 

 Districts ; the blossoms of the dogwood are then peeping forth in every 

 part of the budding woods ; the fragrant sassafras, the red flowers of the 

 maple, and hundreds of other plants, have already banished the dismal 

 appearance of winter. The snows are all melting away, and nature 

 again, in all the beauty of spring, promises happiness and abundance to 

 the whole animal creation. Then it is that the Robin, perched on a 

 fence-stake, or the top of some detached tree of the field, gives vent to 

 the warmth of his passion. His lays are modest, lively, and ofttimes of 

 considerable power ; and although his song cannot be compared with that 

 of the Thrasher, its vivacity and simplicity never fail to fill the breast of 

 the listener with pleasing sensations. Every one knows the Robin and 

 his song. Excepting in the shooting season, he is cherished by old and 

 young, and is protected by all with anxious care. 



The nest of this bird is frequently placed on the horizontal branch of 

 an apple-tree, sometimes in the same situation on a forest-tree ; now and 

 then it is found close to the house, and it is stated by Nuttall that one 

 was placed in the stern timbers of an unfinished vessel at Portsmouth, 

 New Hampshire, in which the carpenters were constantly at work. An- 

 other, adds this amiable writer, has been known to rebuild his nest within 

 a few yards of the blacksmith's anvil. I discovered one near Great Egg 

 Harbour, in the State of New Jersey, affixed to the cribbing-timbers of 

 an unfinished well, seven or eight feet below the surface of the ground. 

 To all such situations this bird resorts, for the purpose of securing its 

 eggs from the Cuckoo, which greedily sucks them. It is seldom indeed 

 that children meddle with them. 



