OUR FAMILIAR BIRDS. 33 



a few hours to complete. She reared three broods that 

 season ; for the third family she returned to the piazza 

 and repaired the first nest. The following spring she 

 again came to the piazza, but selected another pillar for 

 the site of her domicile, the construction of which is 

 a decided improvement upon the first; for the next 

 nest she returned to the oak, and raised a second story 

 on the old one of the previous year, but making it 

 much more symmetrical than the one beneath. The 

 present season (1876) her first dwelling was, as before, 

 erected on a pillar of the piazza — as fine a structure as 

 I ever saw this species build. When this brood was 

 fledged she again repaired to the oak, and reared a third 

 story on the old domicile, using the moss before men- 

 tioned, making a very elaborate affair, and finally finish- 

 ing up by festooning it with long sprays of moss. 



This bird and her mate were quite tame. 1 fed them 

 whortleberries, which they seemed to relish highly, and 

 they would come almost to my feet to get them. But 

 I had a great trial to my patience and temper with an- 

 other pair of this species that nested in the orchard. 

 They were new-comers, and this must have been the 

 second family they were rearing, as it was as late as 

 July. If the robin is not disturbed, as far as I have 

 observed, she always builds her second nest near the 

 site of the first. So these strangers had undoubtedly 

 been badly used by some member of the genus homo, 

 who had broken up and destroyed their home, making 



them hate and distrust all mankind. I blush for hu- 

 3 



