DISEASES OE THE EOBIN. 
tallow, when the men were using this substance in the 
preparation of the hides.” Indeed, its exceeding fondness of 
this species of diet is so strong that it will even venture into 
danger for the sake of a few scraps of fat. A well-known 
authority makes mention of a robin that regularly visited the 
abode of a golden eagle at feeding-time ; — “ the robin, to my 
surprise, took the eagle’s place on the perch the moment that 
he descended from it to the ground to eat some food given him, 
and, when there, picked off some little fragments of fat, or 
scraps of flesh ; this done, it quite unconcernedly alighted on 
the chain by which the rapacious bird was fastened.” 
When caught and caged, the robin’s singular appetite for 
fatty substances continues. The said appetite, however, must 
not be indulged ; as, in the case of the American parrot, who, 
in a wild state, devours considerable quantities of salt, but to 
allow it to partake of it after freedom of limb has been denied 
it, will be to jeopardise its existence. As a caged bird, the 
food of the robin should be as follows : — 
In the season when berries are plentiful, let him have an 
abundant supply, especially of ripe elderberries, of which he 
is very fond. A little bruised malt with the elderberries is a 
good thing. A few small tree-buds, or some grains of wheat 
that have begun to sprout. With this food, however, must be 
mixed lean meat, and as the bird will always neglect the latter 
for the former, it should all be mixed well together. Some 
birds are very fond of cheese, and in such cases it may be given 
with the fresh green food in lieu of meat. 
The Robin’s Cage. — The cage best adapted for the robin 
is one open only in the front, for not only is he subject to 
that tiresome habit “ twirling,” but is also so inquisitive that 
if his house is open at all sides, he will think of nothing but 
watching the actions of every other inhabitant of the chamber 
in which he is hung. In size the cage should not be smaller 
than eighteen or twenty inches long, twelve wide, and twelve 
high ; the top of the cage should be arched, and covered with 
some elastic material, that he may not injure himself in flying 
upward. It will conduce much to the bird’s comfort if the 
two perches are also tightly covered with wash-leather. The 
seed and food vessels should be placed outside the front of the 
cage, at the two extreme corners. 
Diseases oe the Robin, and How to Cube them. — If he 
should be affected by dysentery, let his diet consist almost 
solely of ants’ eggs, mealworms, and bruised malt. This 
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