AMERICAN ROBIN. 33 
the agriculturist, were not their ravages thus stayed in advance by the friendly army 
of Robins. 
It is a matter of congratulation that the good services of the Robin are becoming 
duly appreciated—thanks to the timely and judicious interference in its behalf on the 
part of many of its friends; among whom no one, perhaps, deserves higher praise for 
his active and successful exertions than Dr. Thomas M. Brewer, of Boston. The bird is 
now very generally protected by legislative enactments, during a portion of the year 
at least; it is to be hoped that the laws may be made still more stringent, and the 
“close” time become co-extensive with the year itself. As an object of “sport” the 
Robin can possess no attractions save to idle children of larger or smaller growth; 
while its commercial value, as an article of food, is wholly inconsiderable. There are, 
therefore, weighty and cogent reasons, why the Robin should be protected. by law 
at all seasons; for there would rarely if ever be difficulty in gaining permission, upon 
proper representation, to destroy the very few that might be required for scientific 
purposes. eee 
Among wild fruits the Robin is particularly fond of elder and poke-berries. In 
winter these birds are unusually common in the beautiful hummock-woods of Florida, 
where the mealy sparkle-berry and the holly with its shining vermillion berries grow in 
abundance.— The plumage of the bird’s breast is often stained with the violet juice of 
poke-berry. 
From early in the morning to late in the afternoon these birds are busy almost 
without interruption. It is only during the hot part of the day that they are somewhat 
less active. Their flight is smooth, rapid and skilful, and does not lack grace and 
beauty. To one who has seen during migration flocks of several hundred individuals 
rapidly flying high over the forest trees it seems easy to understand how they can 
traverse such an immense expanse of country in so short a time. They move about 
nimbly among the boughs and are. perfectly at home on the ground. They run about 
quickly, frequently stand still, raise the tail with a jerk and simultaneously lower the 
wings, turn the head to one side to listen, and then hop along again. This jerking of 
the tail and wings while running about on the ground is a common trait of all the 
true Thrushes. 
Towards autumn the Robins unite in larger or smaller flocks and travel south. 
They now prefer the woods along the banks of rivers flowing southward. Especially 
the Mississippi, Wabash, and others, are such highways during migration. In their 
winter quarters they are very shy; rarely will they approach a human dwelling, prefer- 
ing to stay in the depths of great forests, where they look for food among the dead 
leaves which cover the ground. — 
Like all of our smaller birds the Robin has many enemies. In gardens the cats 
catch many young and even old birds, in the woods squirrels, raccoons, opossums, and 
many birds of prey kill them. Their greatest enemy, however, is man. In the South 
almost incalculable numbers are killed by white and black pot-hunters, and in many 
localities of the North many hundreds of almost fully fledged young are taken from 
their nests and meet their doom in the kitchen. Such unreasonable slaughter should be 
stopped everywhere by the rigorous execution of the law for the protection of birds. 
5 
