THE INDIAN ROBIN 67 



Both sexes take part in nest construction. At the 

 mating season cock robins are very bold and pug- 

 nacious, but these characteristics do not always 

 save the nest from destruction, as the following in- 

 cident will show. 



In May, 1912, a pair of brown-backed robins elected 

 to nest in the verandah of my bungalow at Fyzabad. 

 The roof of the verandah is supported by longitudinal 

 beams which rest on a series of cross-beams that 

 project from the main wall of the house and lean 

 at their far end on the verandah pillars. The upper 

 surface of the cross-beams affords admirable nesting 

 sites of which the doves and mynas take full advantage. 

 The robins in question built their nest on one of these 

 cross-beams. No sooner had the nursery been com- 

 plected than trouble began. The first intimation 

 I received of the existence of the nest was much 

 swearing (if I may use that expression to denote the 

 angry cries of a little bird) on the part of cock robin. 

 The temperature on that day was well over 100° F. 

 in the shade, consequently I did not open the doors 

 of the house to ascertain the cause of the robin's 

 wrath. But the angry cries of the bird persisted, 

 and I heard them repeatedly on the following day, 

 so I braved the heat and went into the verandah to 

 prospect, and discovered that a myna was the object 

 of the robin's wrath. 



During the following day the language of the robin 

 abated neither in quantity nor quality ; indeed, his 

 noise began to get on my nerves. He used to perch 

 when giving vent to his feelings, just above the heads 



