SOME OHIO BIRDS 
17 
The following - is a partial list of berries eaten: blackberries, 
pokeberries, partridg-e berries, juniper berries; also the fruit of the 
bitter-sweet, of green briar, of Virginia creeper, of strawberry bush, 
and of the sumacs; of seeds, it consumes those of sorrel, ragweed 
and various grasses. By way of encouragement during the breeding 
season, nesting boxes should be provided. Planting shrubs which 
retain their fruit through cold weather may be the means of induc¬ 
ing many Bluebirds to winter over nearby. Protection should be 
given them at all times. 
ROBIN, Planesticus migratorius migratorius (Linn.) 
Long association with the abode of man has won for the Robin 
wide acquaintance, both in rural communities and in towns and 
cities. At one time a forest dweller, it has gradually adapted its 
manner of living to changed conditions, incident to the settling of the 
country, until, at present, few are found nesting far from the haunts 
of man. When not molested, little fear is shown of man. The 
Robin is a ground feeder, being especially partial to lawns and gar¬ 
dens. Little preference is shown in the selection of a nesting site 
and nests are frequently found in the most unlooked for places. 
At the approach of fall this species becomes gregarious, desert¬ 
ing its summer haunts for the open woodland, where in large 
numbers, it forages for wild fruits and insects. 
The food varies with the season; the most easily obtained is 
usually taken. More than one-third of the entire food consists of 
injurious insects; 47, percent of wild fruit; 4 percent of cultivated 
fruit which is taken principally during June and July, when the wild 
fruit is scarce. Wild fruit is eaten every month of the year, and is 
the most important food for half of the year. The Robin is one of 
the most important enemies of the white grub, besides which, cut¬ 
worms, wireworms, various caterpillars (both woolly and smooth), 
various beetles and many other insects injurious to crops are eaten 
in varying proportions. Wild fruits seem to be preferred before culti¬ 
vated; but of the cultivated kinds, the small sorts suffer most, and 
the man having but a few cherry trees or a small patch of straw¬ 
berries, loses most heavily. The planting of wild fruits around the 
orchard, especially those which fruit at the time when cultivated small 
fruits ripen, will save much of the cultivated crop, which would 
otherwise be lost. All wild fruits are eaten by the Robin, but a few 
favorites are wild cherries, wild grapes, the fruits of the sour gum, 
green briar, sumac, poison ivy, elderberries, huckleberries, June 
berries and mulberries. 
Formerly, millions of Robins were shot in the South by market 
hunters, during their winter sojourn, and even yet the practice is 
carried on in states where laws are lax or where none exist. 
