530 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



York, rarely later than the loth of March. Butcher's migration date^ 

 for Long Island some years begin on February 7; in western New York, 

 March 4 to 10 is perhaps the normal time of arrival. Some years they are 

 common as early as the 24th of February when there is an exceptionally 

 warm wave. In an unusually late spring they sometimes are not common 

 before the 22d of March, but it is a rare season when the Robin is not 

 in evidence at least as early as March 12. In the fall the last migrants 

 depart from central and western New York about the ist to the 12th of 

 November, a few remaining occasionally until the last of the month. 

 Fisher gives the date of departure from Ossining as November 30, but a 

 few remain, as stated before, in nearly all the central and southern portions 

 of the State in favored localities throughout the winter. 



Haunts and habits. The Robin places its nest even on the window 

 ledge or the veranda post, the brackets of porches, on projections about 

 the sheds, or under the eaves of the barn; likewise in all manner of trees 

 on the lawn, in the orchard and shade trees along the street, or even on 

 the trees in the forest. I have found robins' nests within i foot of the 

 ground, at other titnes 60 feet high in elm trees, and 80 feet high on the 

 beams which supported a water tank. The materials used in the nest 

 construction are almost invariably grass steins and weed stalks for a founda- 

 tion layer, upon which is built a shell of mud held together with blades of 

 grass carefully mingled with it by the mother bird, who shapes the nest 

 by pressing her breast against it, until a well-rounded cup of sufficient 

 size to support the young birds has been constructed; then the interior 

 is lined with fine blades of dry grass. The eggs are usually 4 in number, 

 rarely 5, and on one occasion I found 7 eggs evidently laid by the same bird. 

 They are of a characteristic bluish green color, rather elongated ovate in 

 shape and average about 1.2 inches in length by .82 in diameter. Robins 

 begin to build the nest in April ; some seasons when there is a warm wave 

 during the last week in March I have seen nests completed by the 28th 

 of that month; usually, however, the nest is not finished before the 15th 

 of April and fresh eggs are commonly found from April 22 to 'May 8. The 



