The Robin 13 



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 sim- 

 plicity never fail to fill the breast of the listener with pleasing 

 sensations. 



The nest of the Robin is frequently placed on the horizon- 

 tal branch of an apple-tree, and sometimes in the same situa- 

 tion 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. 

 Another, adds this amiable writer, has been known to build 

 his nest within a few yards of a blacksmith's anvil. I dis- 

 covered one near Great Egg Harbor, 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. 



Wherever it may happen to be placed the nest is large and 

 well secured. It is composed of dry leaves, grass, and moss, 

 which are connected internally with a thick layer of mud and 

 roots, lined with pieces of straw and fine grass, and occasionally 

 a few feathers. The eggs are from four to six, of a beautiful 

 bluish green, without spots. Two broods are usually raised in 

 a season. 



The young are fed with anxious care by their tender 

 parents, who, should one intrude upon them, boldly remon- 



