A Robin which Migrated Tailless.— In the spring of 1914 a tailless 

 male Robin arrived in the Boston Public Garden, a plump, brightly plum- 

 aged bird, and remained there as one of a breeding pair. During the weeks 

 succeeding his arrival there was no perceptible development of a tail. 

 On April 13, 1915, there again arrived a tailless male Robin on a morning 

 when several females joined the company of males already present. This 

 tailless male adopted the same limited area of the Garden as did the tail- 

 less bird of the preceding year. So the almost unavoidable conclusion was 

 that it was the same bird, and that it was not a mere coincidence. On 

 April 19, 1916, again a tailless male Robin arrived and again adopted the 

 same small area of the Garden as his possession, a plump and brightly 

 plumaged bird as before. The conclusion was then confirmed beyond 

 reasonable doubt that it was indeed the same Robin back for the third 

 season without a tail. This being so, the fact was that this Robin had 

 made his migratory flights for three successive years without the aid of 

 any tail as a rudder in flight. Neither season did any tail develop. Appar- 

 ently the bird had lost the fleshy tip from which tail feathers could be 

 developed. There was no change in its appearance, season by season. 

 In the season of 1914 the first Robins came to the Garden on March 25 and 

 during the next few days were joined by others. In 1915 the first Robin 

 arrived on March 19 followed by others within a week. In 1916 the first 

 two Robins came to the Garden on March 25, and on April 1 a dijzen resi- 

 dent males were present. Thus it is perceived that the tailless Robin was 

 a rather later arriving bird each season. Twenty resident Robins were 

 already present in the Garden when he came north in 1915 and 1916. So, 

 perhaps, this tailless Robin made his migratory flights less speedily than 

 did others. But this supposition would seem to be not very strongly 

 based for the reason that Robins are arriving usually throughout the 

 month of April, and the tailless bird was not really behind time. The 

 only conclusion to be drawn, therefore, would seem to be that the bird 

 had experienced little or no disadvantage in flight due to not possessing a 

 tail, or if its absence had been a disadvantage, he had effectively overcome 

 it. ' We looked for this taiUess Robin in the spring of 1917, but in vain; 

 he did not come to the garden.— Horace W. Wright, Boston, Mass. 



