ROBIN. 
31 
black, edged with light ash ; the inner tips of the two exterior 
tail-feathers, are white ; three small spots of white border the 
eye ; the throat and upper part of the breast is black, the 
former streaked with white ; the whole of the rest of the 
breast, down as far as the thighs, is of a dark orange ; belly 
and vent, white, slightly waved with dusky ash ; legs, dark 
brown ; claws, black and strong. The colours of the female 
are more of the light ash, less deepened with black ; and the 
orange on the breast is much paler, and more broadly skirted 
with white. The name of this bird bespeaks him a bird of 
passage, as are all the different species of thrushes we have ; 
but the one we are now describing being more unsettled, and 
continually roving about from one region to another, during 
fall and winter, seems particularly entitled to the appellation. 
Scarce a winter passes but innumerable thousands of them 
are seen in the lower parts of the wdiole Atlantic States, 
from New Hampshire to Carolina, particularly in the neigh- 
bourhood of our towns ; and, from the circumstance of 
their leaving, during that season, the country to the north- 
west of the great range of the Alleghany, from Maryland 
northward, it would appear that they not only migrate from 
north to south, but from west to east, to avoid the deep snows 
that generally prevail on these high regions for at least four 
months in the year. 
The robin builds a large nest, often on an apple tree, 
plasters it in the inside with mud, and lines it with hay 
or fine grass. The female lays five eggs of a beautiful 
sea green. Their principal food is berries* worms, and 
caterpillars. Of the first he prefers those of the sour gum, 
(Nyssa sylvatica.) So fond are they of gum-berries, that, 
wherever there is one of these trees covered with fruit, and 
the name of our own homely bird to the earlier British settlers, and along with 
it part of the respect with which its namesake is treated in this country. 
An African species, Turdus olivaceus, ( le Griveron , Vieill.) is nearly allied 
in the distribution of the markings. I have another, I believe, from South 
America, which approaches both nearly — Ed. 
