GATHERED BY THE WAY 
it. The robin was disturbed at first, but soon went 
on with her incubating in the new and more exposed 
position. The same spring one built her nest upon 
a, beam in a half-finished fruit house, going out and 
in through the unshingled roof. One day, just as the 
eggs were hatched, we completed the roof, and kept 
up a hammering about the place till near night; the 
mother robin scolded a good deal, but she did not 
desert her young, and soon found her way in and 
out the door. 
If a robin makes up her mind to build upon your 
porch, and you make up your mind that you do not 
want her there, there is likely to be considerable 
trouble on both sides before the matter is settled. 
The robin gets the start of you in the morning, and 
has her heap of dry grass and straws in place before 
the jealous broom is stirring, and she persists after 
you have cleaned out her rubbish half a dozen times. 
Before you have discouraged her, you may have to 
shunt her off of every plate or other “coign of van- 
tage” with boards or shingles. A strenuous bird 
indeed, and a hustler. 
VIII. THE CROW 
One very cold winter’s morning, after a fall of 
nearly two feet of snow, as I came out of my door 
three crows were perched in an apple tree but a few 
rods away. One of them uttered a peculiar caw as 
they saw me, but they did not fly away. It was not 
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