﻿522 Canadian Record of Science. 



induced to take up residence where their services will do 

 most good. Their eccentricities in the selection of a home 

 are well known. Almost anything, from an old cigar box 

 to a tomato can, an old teapot, a worn-out boot, or a horse's 

 skull, is acceptable, provided it be placed well up from the 

 ground and out of reach of cats and other prowlers. 



It does not seem possible to have too many wrens, and 

 every effort should be made to protect them and to 

 encourage their nesting about the house. 



THE ROBIN. 



(Me7'ula migratoria. ) 



The robin is found throughout the United States east 

 of the Great Plains, and is represented farther west by a 

 slightly different subspecies. It extends far north through 

 Canada, and is found even in Alaska. Although the great 

 bulk of the species leaves the Northern States in winter, 

 a few individuals remain in sheltered swamps, where wild 

 berries furnish an abundant supply of food. 



The robin builds its nest in orchards and gardens, and 

 occasionally takes advantage of a nook about the house, 

 or under the shelter of the roof of a shed or outbuilding. 

 Its food habits have sometimes caused apprehension to 

 the fruit grower, for it is fond of cherries and other small 

 fruits, particularly the early varieties. For this reason 

 many complaints have been lodged against it, and some 

 persons have gone so far as to condemn the bird. The 

 robin is, however, too valuable to be exterminated, and 

 choice fruit can be readily protected from its depredations 



An examination of 330 stomachs shows that over 42 per 

 cent, of its food is animal matter, principally insects, while 

 the remainder is made up largely of small fruits or berries. 

 Over 19 per cent, consists of beetles, about one-third of 

 which are useful ground beetles, taken mostly in spring 

 and fall, when other insects are scarce. Grasshoppers 

 make up about one-tenth of the whole food, but in August 



