20 



THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 



Robin Snowball 



During the last week of May, 1922, a lady living in Henry, 

 seven miles from my home in Lacon, Illinois, hearing a commo- 

 tion in her yard, glanced out of the window and saw a white baby 

 robin on the lawn, fluttering its little wings and opening its 

 mouth at every bird that went near it. 



The little fellow was too young to 

 be able to fly, apparently very 

 hungry, and seemingly deserted 

 by its parents, for an observation 

 extending over a considerable 

 time disclosed no bird paying at- 

 tention to this ghost-like robin. 

 Being of kind heart, and fearing 

 the conspicuous plumage of the 

 helpless youngster would result 

 in his destruction by boys or cats, 

 she took him into the house and 

 put him in a cage. The little fel- 

 low responded to kindness and 

 feed, becoming very tame, taking 

 most of his sustenance from her 

 hand and when big enough flying 

 over the house, following her 

 from room to room, perched on 

 her shoulder frequently. Later 

 he was moved into a larger out 



Photo by R. M. Barnes ^ oor cage an( J on J u ] y 22nd WaS 



given to me and brought to my home in Lacon. Here a cage three 

 feet wide and four feet long and four feet high was built for him, 

 and placed under a tree on the lawn. During the summer he was 

 an object of much interest and curiosity to visitors and grew to 

 be a normal robin in every respect except color, though for some 

 reason he always maintained a dirty appearance. 



During my absence in August, the little rascal slipped out 

 of the door of his cage as it was opened to put in the feed and, 

 quick as a flash, he was gone. He remained at large until the 

 afternoon of the next day, about thirty-six hours, when he 

 quietly permitted one of the family to pick him up and transfer 

 him again to his cage quarters in which he appeared thoroughly 

 satisfied and glad to get back. 



About the 1st of October I moved the now adult bird into 

 the house and turned him loose in a conservatory with glass 

 sides and top 9 by 18 feet in which there are many dozen plants 

 of all kind, and began feeding him prepared bird food such as 

 is found in the bird stores for soft billed birds. The result was 

 magical. Robin Snowball, immediately took to bathing once or 

 twice a day, something he had declined to do while out in the yard 

 except in very rare instances, which without doubt, accounted 



