FORAGING HABITS OF BIRDS. 245 



the character of their food. The robin is entirely insec- 

 tivorous, while the omnivorous blackbird hunts the soil 

 for everything that is nutritious, and picks up small seeds 

 that require a close examination of the ground. 



The robin is probably endowed with a greater reach of 

 sight than the blackbird, and while hopping about with 

 his head erect, his vision comprehends a wider space. 

 Many a time have I been astonished at the rapidity with 

 which one of these idle robins would collect cutworms 

 during a dry spell when they could not be very abun- 

 dant, sometimes bringing two at a time in her bill and 

 carrying them to her young. The robin not only watches 

 for a sight of his prey, but also for the marks upon vege- 

 tation that denote the place of its concealment. He 

 must possess an extraordinary share of this sagacious in- 

 stinct ; for the thousands of cutworms destroyed by him 

 could not be discovered except by these indications and 

 when they crawl out at twilight. The robin is therefore 

 one of the earliest as well as the latest feeders among all 

 our birds in the morning and evening. 



The foraging habits of the different species of domestic 

 poultry are worthy of remark as illustrating some of the 

 differences observed in the manners of wild birds. Place 

 a brood of ducks in a field during grasshopper-time, and 

 they generally pursue one course, marching in a body 

 over the field with great regularity. A brood of chickens, 

 on the contrary, will scatter, occasionally reassembling, 

 but never keeping close together, unless they are follow- 

 ing a hen. Turkeys scatter themselves less than chickens, 

 but do not equal ducks in the. regularity of their move- 

 ments. Pigeons settle down upon a field in a compact 

 flock, and then radiate in all directions. They pursue 

 no regular march, like ducks. 



A very interesting class of foragers are those that feed 

 in compact assemblages. This habit renders the snow- 



