498 
THRUSHES, BLUEBIRDS, ETC. 
brownish in fall. Im. females average paler below and with less black on 
the head, but fully adult birds are as richly colored as the brightest males. 
Nestling . — Back and underparts spotted with black. L., 10*00; W., 4*96; T., 
3*87; B., *84. 
Range , — N. A. Breeds from limit of trees in nw. Alaska, to n. Ungava, 
and N. F. s. to Cook Inlet, Alaska, cen. Alberta, se. Wyo., Kans., Ills., Ind., 
Ohio, Pa., N. J., and in the Alleghanies to N. C.; winters from cen. Kans., 
Ohio valley, and N. J. (irregularly further n.) to the Gulf coast and Fla., 
and to Nuevo Leon, Mex. ; accidental in Bermuda and Cuba. 
Washington, rather common S. R., abundant T. V., from Feb.-Apl. ; 
irregularly common W. Y. Ossining, common S. R., Mch. 4-0 ct. 30; a few 
winter. Cambridge, very abundant S. R., common but irregular W. V. 
N. Ohio, abundant S. R., Feb. 26-Nov. 30; a few winter. Glen Ellyn, very 
common S. R., rare W. V., Jan. 25-Nov. 19. SE. Minn., common S. R., 
rare W. V., Mch. 8-Nov. 11. 
Nest, of coarse grasses, leaves, rootlets, etc., with an inner wall of mud 
and lining of fine grasses, most frequently in fruit or shade trees, 5-30 feet 
up. Eggs, 3-5, greenish blue, very rarely with brownish markings, 1*14 x ‘80. 
Date, New York City, Apl. 20; Cambridge, Apl. 25; se. Minn., Apl. 28. 
While the few Robins that have the courage to winter with us are 
seeking protection from chilling winds in the depths of friendly ever- 
greens, their comrades who extended their journey to the south are 
holding carnival under sunny skies. In Florida, during the winter, 
Robins may be found in enormous flocks, feeding on the berries of the 
China tree, holly, and mistletoe. Occasionally they give voice to a 
half-suppressed chorus, as though rehearsing for the approaching 
season of song. 
Robins migrate in flocks, and the arrival of the advance guard 
makes the dreariest March day seem bright. It is a question whether 
these pioneers are summer residents or transients en route to a more 
northern summer home, but in my experience they make the sunny 
side of some woods their headquarters and remain there until paired. 
They are then in full song, and we see them in their accustomed haunts 
about our lawns and orchards. 
Toward the last of June the young of the first brood, with the old 
males, resort in numbers nightly to a roosting-place. These roosts are 
generally in deciduous second growths, usually in low, but sometimes 
on high ground. The females are now occupied with the cares of a 
second family, and the males are said to return each day to assist them 
in their duties. 
Early in September, when the nesting season is over, Robins gather 
in large flocks, and from this time until their departure for the south, 
roam about the country in search of food, taking in turn wild cher- 
ries, dogwood and cedar berries. 
The songs and call-notes of the Robin, while well known to every 
one, are in reality understood by no one, and offer excellent subjects 
for the student of bird language. Its notes express interrogation, sus- 
picion, alarm, caution, and it signals to its companions to take wing; 
indeed, few of our birds have a more extended vocabulary. 
1890. Brewster, W., Auk, X, 360-373 (summer roosts). — 1892. 
Torrey, B., Foot-pathWay, 153-175 (summer roosts). — 1895. Widmann, O., 
