182 
ORDERS OF BIRDS— PERCHERS AND SINGERS 
planted six feet from the edge of the main walk, 
and directly in front of our head-quarters, a Rob- 
in built her nest, only five feet from the ground; 
and there she reared her young. To many visit- 
ors who loved birds, her nest was shown, but to 
the Robin-killers and the nest-robbers no one 
said a word. On Gardiner’s Island, where cats 
live not, the Robins nest on fence-rails only two 
feet from the ground, in full view of the bird- 
loving inhabitants of that small world. 
WOOD-THRUSH. 
Often we have been greatly interested by the 
keenness of sight of the Robins which visit our 
lawn. After every shower, certain Robins of 
our acquaintance take possession of the lawn, 
and stride over the grass with an air of great 
importance and earnestness of purpose. After 
several wise and sidewise cocks of the head, a 
Robin will suddenly drive his bill far down into 
the grass, and brace himself for a hard struggle. 
By dint of many hard tugs, out comes the earth- 
worm, to be borne away in triumph to a certain 
nest. Often I have tried to see worms down 
among the roots of the grass, as the Robins do, 
but never once have I succeeded. Evidently 
my objectives never were focused just right for 
worms in green grass. 
In all save a very few localities in North Amer- 
ica, the Robins are treated as friends. In the 
“grape belt” of western New York, they are a 
great annoyance to some grape-growers because 
of the bunches they disfigure. Elsewhere they 
are of great benefit to farmers, and the few cher- 
ries they take in cherry time are very modest 
compensation for the noxious grubs they pick 
out of the freshly ploughed fields. 
The investigations of the Biological Survey 
of the Department of Agriculture have demon- 
strated the great economic value of the Robin 
as a destroyer of harmful insects. The contents 
of three hundred and thirty stomachs of birds 
taken in all seasons revealed the fact that in the 
course of an entire year, insects make up 40 
per cent of the food of Robins, wild fruit 43 per 
cent, cultivated fruit 8 per cent, and miscel- 
laneous vegetable food 5 per cent. 
Regarding the killing of Robins, and other 
song-birds, and also doves, as food for man in a 
land of plenty, there cannot be two opinions. 
It is not necessary; it is not “sport”; it is very 
injurious to our farmers and fruit-growers, and 
entirely reprehensible. No self-respecting boy 
or man can be guilty of such wrong-doing; no 
civilized community should tolerate it for one 
moment, and no farmer can afford to -permit it! 
I would rather that any friend of mine should 
be caught stealing a sheep than killing Robins, 
either for food or “sport.” 
Let us protect the great American Robin, and 
all other perching -birds, even at the point of the 
bayonet if it be necessary. 
The Wood-Thrush 1 is one-fifth smaller than 
a robin, and is easily recognized anywhere by 
its beautifully spotted breast. It has about 
fifty dark-brown spots, often arranged in rows 
up and down its breast, belly and throat, on a 
creamy-white ground color. Other thrushes 
have dark spots on the breast, but not down to 
the legs. The head and shoulders of this bird 
are of a bright cinnamon color. 
This graceful creature often works overtime 
to make the woods melodious, and it is one of our 
sweetest singers. It is not so bold and confi- 
dent as the robin, and is much given to follow- 
ing the robin’s lead. Its favorite haunt is the 
sweet seclusion of shady woods and thickets, 
where the half-bare earth affords good hunting- 
grounds, and a fair degree of safety from ob- 
servation. Its nesting habits are very much 
like those of the robin, and its range includes 
the whole eastern half of the United States, to 
the Great Plains beyond the Mississippi. 
The Common Bluebird . 12 — The United 
1 Hy-lo-ci' chla mus-tel-i'na. Length, 8 inches. 
2 Si-a'li-a s i-a’lis. Length, 6.75 inches. 
