Bird Study 



55 



head and listen for his prey, and when he finally seizes the earthworm he 

 braces himself on his strong legs and tugs manfully until he sometimes 

 almost falls over backward as the worm lets go its hold. The robins, 

 especially at nesting time, eat many insects as well as earthworms. 



The beginning of a robin's nest is very interesting; much strong grass, 

 fine straw, leaves and rootlets are brought and placed on a secure support. 

 When enough of this material is collected and arranged, the bird goes to 

 the nearest mud puddle or stream margin and fills its beak with soft 

 mud and going back "peppers" it into the nest material, and after the 

 latter is soaked the bird gets into it and molds it to the body by nestling 

 and turning around and around. In one case which the author watched 

 the mother bird did this part of the building, although the father worked 

 industriously in bringing the other materials. After the nest is molded 

 but not yet hardened, it is lined with fine grass or rootlets. If the season 

 is very dry and there is no soft mud at hand, the robins can build without 

 the aid of this plaster. There are usually four eggs laid which are ex- 

 quisite greenish blue in color. 



Both parents share the monotonous business of incubating, and in the 

 instance under the eyes of the author the mother bird was on the nest at 

 night; the period of incubating is from eleven to fourteen days. The 

 most noticeable thing about a very young robin is its wide, yellow- 

 margined mouth, which it opens like a satchel every time the nest is 

 jarred. This wide mouth cannot but suggest to anyone that it is meant 



Robin on nest. 



