suited her purpose, — all this, close to my feet. 

 I gathered from all these doings, that Madame 

 wished to huild a nest, but met with no aid in 

 the undertaking. Some time subsequently, she 

 haunted me more than ever, and took from me 

 mealworms by the dozen. As she did not herself 

 eat them, I guessed they were for her offspring. 

 I was right. At this time the weather became 

 bitterly cold — so cold, that I left her ladyship 

 to perform her arduous duties without attempt- 

 ing to indulge my curiosity, — a thing you will 

 say, in one of my sex, perfectly unaccountable! 

 Time, however, and the remorselessness of the 

 winds, soon disclosed to me the " local habita- 

 tion" of my pet. It had been artfully concealed 

 in the very spot I suspected ; it was now patent 

 to the passer by: indeed it seemed as if the next 

 blast would overwhelm it in destruction. Still, 

 I forbore to remove it. Furiously raged the 

 wind, whilst I was thus deliberating; and hu- 

 manity decided that I was " right" in taking that 

 nest. Only two mornings previously, I had 

 found two unfledged blackbirds lying dead on the 

 ground. They had been dislodged from their 

 nest by the wind, and they had been half- 

 mangled, let me add, by the teeth of some dain- 

 tily-fed brute of a cat, whose refined appetite, it 

 would seem, refused to " eat " them. I think, 

 under such circumstances, " dear Mr. Kidd," I 

 shall stand acquitted in your estimation. [There 

 is no case, sweet lady, to go before a jury.] 

 But let me relate how I acted. Throwing a 

 handkerchief over, as I thought, the robin's nest, 

 I was greatly surprised to find, not really the 

 nest, but an extensive outer rampart — constructed, 

 doubtless, as an additional protection from the in- 

 clement weather. It was slightly put together; 

 but the nest itself was so solidly secured to an 

 ivy-branch as not to be removed without injuring 

 its structure. There were in it one unproductive 

 egg and five young birds. Two (the finest) were 

 lost through my cruel stupidity, from cold, the 

 following morning. Grieved at having touched 

 the nest, I was however, though not less grieved 

 for the loss, less dissatisfied with myself, on ob- 

 serving between three and four, a.m., a day or 

 two subsequently, a cat prowling under the ivy- 

 covered wall, — looking as if she missed some- 

 thing she had marked for her own, and warily 

 examining the space between each tree. To 

 the remaining three nestlings, I can say I 

 have done my duty; been up with them early 

 and late — made an indefatigable search after 

 mealworms, though not always able to procure a 

 sufficiency, — and digging perseveringly for 

 insects, although from the cold dry weather (I 

 suppose), I once only succeeded in obtaining two 

 earwigs, and a long thin something, with many 

 legs; nor was the robin much more successful. 

 Earthworms she would not give the young ; nor 

 bread and milk, nor hard yolk of egg, nor 

 minced raw meat, nor flies, nor anything I could 

 obtain or think of. She showed me once a 

 spider, at another time a caterpillar, intimating, 

 doubtless, such would be acceptable. The rose 

 leaves were searched, but no caterpillar rewarded 

 my pains-taking. In spite however of our diffi- 

 culties, the three young ones have left the nest, 

 perfect beauties ! They are nicely fledged, and 

 although with nearly invisible tails, they fly 



hop, chirp merrily, and eat voraciously. And 

 now will you kindly tell me, whether I had better 

 keep them awhile, or let them go at once? let 

 them fly from the window, or take the cage to 

 the garden ? It is quite pretty to see them run 

 and fly about the room after the hen, quite indif- 

 ferent to the presence of my dog, who watches 

 them with evident interest. Most of the anec- 

 dotes respecting the robin in your Journal 

 relate, I think, to the male bird, whose unamia- 

 ble qualities appear to be incontrovertible. The 

 mate of my little favorite seems to think his 

 duty consists only in looking very trim, and pretty, 

 and in exerting his vocal talents. He is remark- 

 ably shy. The attention of the hen to her 

 young, nothing could exceed. One instance I 

 cannot refrain from mentioning, though scarcely 

 expecting to be credited. Young birds are — as 

 a servant once emphatically observed, in reply 

 to a " polite inquiry " after some of my little 

 companions, " dirty, messy, little things!" My 

 three well-fed robins were no exception; yet 

 the cage and nest were as perfectly free from the 

 slightest trace of their inmates, as though they 

 contained none. By attentive observation of the 

 old bird, I learnt how this was managed, and how 

 watchful was the poor dear little creature that 

 nothing but clean moss should come in contact 

 with her tender nestlings. Without such re- 

 peated opportunities of observation, I should 

 have distrusted my imperfect vision, but I am 

 quite assured of not being in error. Since the 

 young have been able to perch, this care is dis- 

 continued. As the two last evidently perished 

 from cold, I placed some new wadding under and 

 round the remaining ones ; this the old bird in- 

 stantly removed, carrying it away out of reach 

 and sight, — no doubt sensible that her exertions 

 could not keep its soft absorbing surface so 

 purely clean as she could the proper materials of 

 her nest. There are other matters on which 

 I much want your advice, — but not now. 

 I have already unwarrantably trespassed on your 

 valuable time. I however only take my leave 

 au revoir ; for I wish to make no secret of your 

 Journal being an especial " pet" of mine; and 

 I will help to support it by every means in my 

 power, — notwithstanding your " hints" about 

 dropping it at an early day ! Will you, Mr. 

 Editor, allow me the privilege of my sex, and 

 let me say,— you won't, and you shan't ? — Eores- 



TIERA. 



[We have our match here, and must be 

 careful. When a lady says you " shan't," it is 

 " our duty" to be dumb. We are dumb. Patient 

 as a lamb are we, Forestiera, — thou terres- 

 trial angel and patroness of little men ! Speak, 

 and it shall be done. Command, and we obey. 

 You did quite right in taking the nest, under the 

 circumstances ; and we advise that, on some fine 

 day, you open the cage door and give free exit 

 and entrance to all your little protegees. They 

 will never leave you, we will answer for it. 

 The cleanliness of birds during incubation, to 

 which you allude, is worthy of especial note. We 

 recently had a robin, sitting on a nest in our 

 greenhouse, close to the dwelling-house. When 

 hatched, everything in the way of surplusage 

 that was deposited on the nest by the young 

 (for Nature so contrives that nothing unpleasant 



