37 
THE ROBIN. 
(Merula migratoria.) 
The robin (fig. 21) is found throughout the United States east of the 
Great Plains, and is represented farther west by a slightly different 
subspecies. It extends far north through Canada, and is found even 
in Alaska. Although the great bulk of the species leaves the Northern 
States in winter, a few individuals remain in sheltered swamps, where 
wild berries furnish an abundant supply of food. 
The robin builds its nest in orchards aud gardens, and occasionally 
takes advantage of a nook about the house, or under the shelter of the 
roof of a shed or outbuilding. Its food habits have sometimes caused 
apprehension to the fruit grower, for it is fond of cherries and other 
small fruits, particularly the earlier varieties. For this reason many 
complaints have been lodged against it, and some persons have gone 
Fic. 21.—Robin. 
so far as to condemn the bird. The robin is, however, too valuable to 
be exterminated, and choice fruit can be readily protected from its 
depredations. 
An examination of 330 stomachs shows that over 42 per cent of its food 
is animal matter, principally insects, while the remainder is made up 
largely of small fruits or berries. Over 19 per cent consists of beetles, 
about one-third of which are useful ground beetles, taken mostly in 
spring and fall, when other insects are scarce. Grasshoppers make up 
about one-tenth of the whole food, but in August comprise over 30 per 
cent. Caterpillars form about 6 per cent, while the rest of the animal 
food, about 7 per cent, is made up of various insects, with a few spiders, 
snails, and angle-worms. All the grasshoppers, caterpillars, and bugs, 
with a large portion of the beetles, are injurious, and it is safe to say 
that noxious insects comprise more than one-third of the robin’s food. 
