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AMERICAN OSPREY. 



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VOL. I. 



ASHLAND, KY., MAY, 1890. 



NO. :,. 



BIRD STUDIES.— I. 



THE ROBIN. 



BY PICUS. 



THE PRAIRIE HEN. 

 (Tympanerchus American us) 



Probally the best known bird in 

 North America is the American Robin. 

 He claims the whole continent as far 

 south as Mexico for his own, and takes 

 possession with such a familiar manner 

 as to quite win him the respect and 

 good-will of everyone. During the 

 colder months of the year the Robins 

 desert the northern half of the continent, 

 but when spring comes the birds go 

 north to breed, leaving much of the 

 southern half to await their return in 

 the fall. 



The Robin is a varied and voluble 

 singer, and one of the foremost in the 

 early morning choir; his voice is heard 

 during most of the summer, for lie 

 seldom ceases his song till the third 

 brood of young has flown. 



The Robin usuall} 1- prefers to nest in 

 propinquity to man, placing his nest 

 almost anywhere, about the house, on a 

 stump, in the orchard, on the ground or 

 in a hole in a tree— all are alike lo him, 

 and the nest is the same rude affair of 

 grass and mud. The eggs are almost in- 

 variably four. 



After the cares of incubation are over, 

 the Robin draws away from mankind 

 and seeks the company of other Robins; 

 in large flocks they leisurely feed through 

 the lazy autumn days spending their 

 time in the woods and adjacent fields. 



The food of the Robin consists of 

 many kinds of insects, berries, etc., but 

 his favorite diet is earthworms; in quest 

 of these he may often be seen on the 

 lawn at dawn witli plumage all bedrag- 

 gled with dew. During cherry and 

 berry time the gardener is never the 

 Robin's friend hut he is his only enemy. 



This species, though still quite com- 

 mon, is gradually disappearing each 

 year owing to the country becoming 

 more thickly settled, and to the hunters, 

 who make to hunt them for the markets. 

 They are protected by law from some- 

 time in the winter to the first of Septem- 

 ber. As soon as the law is up the hunter 

 ' with his dog and gun starts out. Point- 

 ! ers and setters are used. The hunter 

 starts out over the prairie and around 

 i the borders of stubble fields. Soon the 

 dog strikes a trail and the hunter with 

 his gun cocked and held in the handiest 

 position, follows, urging him on. Soon, 

 whizz! whirr! the chickens rise out of 

 I the long grass,- — bang! bang! goes the 

 gun, and down comes a couple of the 

 luckless birds. The rest are "watched 

 | down," and soon as those shot are 

 J secured and the hunter is satisfied that 

 i there are no others hiding around he 

 I striks for the place where they lit. 

 Sometimes nearly a whole covey will be 

 secured in this way. It is fine sport to 

 i hunt them if one has a good dog. They 

 ! breed in the tall prairie grass commenc- 

 ing to lay during the hitter part of April. 

 From twelve to fifteen eggs are laid. 

 They are nearly white when laid, but 

 j are soon stained to a dirty yellow by the 

 j material of the nest. They are some- 

 ' times spotted quite profusly with fine 

 blackish specks. I have one that has 

 spots on it as large as the head of a 

 shingle nail. The nest is merely a liol- 

 I low in the ground lined with grass. 



Prairie tires destroy great numbers of 

 eggs each year. The collector by follow- 

 ing the track of one of these fires can 

 (Continued on M page) 



