The Robin 79 



tite for food — even man being no exception — ^we 

 decided to take advantage of this fact. Accordingly, 

 on April fourteenth we placed a small board in the 

 fork of two limbs of the lilac bush, on which we 

 intended to offer food to the robins. We made it 

 our business to be about the lilac bush and at the 

 window as often as convenient, at first without ap- 

 parently noticing the birds. In the beginning they 

 were quite easily disturbed by our presence, and also 

 by the appearance of the board so near their nest; 

 the fear soon passed away, however, and it was sur- 

 prising to notice how quickly it was dispelled after 

 we began feeding them. In two days the robins 

 would take food from the board while we were at 

 the window, only six feet away. 



Meanwhile the building of the nest was progressing, 

 and as it was only ten feet from the window, the process 

 of construction could easily be watched. Both birds 

 took part in the building, although the female seemed 

 to do the most of the work, particularly the shaping 

 of the nest, which was done largely by means of her 

 body. The nest was finished on April twenty-fifth, 

 and it was a typical robin's nest; the bulky part 

 being composed of roots and grasses, while the inner 

 wall of mud was lined with very fine grass and a few 

 long horse hairs. 



