THE ROBIN’S MENU 
‘Now when the primrose makes a splendid show. 
And lilies face the March-winds in full blow, 
And humbler growths as moved with one desire 
Put on, to welcome Spring, their best attire, 
Poor Robin is vet flowerless; but how gay 
With his red stalks upon this sunny day 
Wordsworth. 
T he most abundant, and probably the most universally 
cherished of all our American birds is the robiiy Purely 
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a domestic and fearless bird, the robin rears its yoiing in 
perfect safety, close to the abode of man, sometimes selecting; 
for its home a projecting ledge above a door. The birdV^on- 
fidence is seldom misplaced, which tends to make it all the 
more trustful. Of late years the robin has increased in such 
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large numbers that its natural food is not ample enough to care 
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for the increasing demand. The apprehension is felt that it 
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may become dangerous to our food-producing crops. A few 
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facts regarding the diet of the robin, based upon th$ most rigid 
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investigation, will not be amiss at this season. 
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In addition to its most pleasant neighborliness and com- 
panionship, the robin performs a most beneficial work for the 
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