Music of the Wild 



Fifteen feet high in the branches of one of 

 these old apple trees a robin built her nest before 

 A True leafage in the wet, cold Aiml of 1907. There 

 Mother ^ygj.^ ^^^q eggs when one morning found the cradle 

 tilled with snow, and I thought she would desert 

 it, but later she returned. Surely brooding bird 

 never had a more uncomfortable time. The tree 

 had borne apples the previous year, and of course 

 she thought it ahve and expected protection from 

 the lea^'es. It was (juite dead, and never a sign of 

 bloom or leaf ap})eared. 



The weather changed abruptly each day. With 

 no shelter Avhatever she sat through freezing nights, 

 snowy days, sleet, rain, and flashes of hot sunshine. 

 ^Vhen she had four babies almost ready to leave 

 the nest, a terrific cold raiii began on Saturday 

 morning. By afternoon it poured, and she pointed 

 her bill sky^vard and gasped for lireath. I fully 

 expected that she would desert the nest and seek 

 shelter l)efore morning, but she remained, although 

 drenched and half dead. That rain continued all 

 of Sunday, j^ouring at times, until ^londay morn- 

 ing. Although I watched In' the hour, not once 

 from the time it began until rifts of sunlight 

 showed ^londay morning did I see her leave her 

 )iest or feed the yomig, or her mate bring her a 

 morsel of food. For an hour at a stretch, several 

 times a day, I thought she would drown. ]My lad- 

 der had been erected for some time before her lo- 



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