22 REDBREAST. 
had built. About eight days after this, while I was sitting 
in the parlour, my old frend flew in, and immediately 
recognised me; after keeping him for two weeks, I put him out, 
when he flew to the garden, where he remained during the 
summer, and with his partner reared a brood of six fine 
Robins.’ 
The Robin, when accustomed to be undisturbed frequently 
approaches very near to those who are working im gardens, 
to pick up any insects which they may happen to disturb; 
and will sometimes even alight on the edge of the basket 
of a fruit-gatherer. One has been known to enter a room 
where a person was writing, and perch upon the inkstand, 
returning again after flying out, to sing some time; another 
entered a room, and rested on the knee of a person sitting 
there. A curious instance of somewhat analogous to reasoning - 
power in a bird of this species, is related in the ‘Magazine 
of Natural History,’ volume vill, pages 545-6:—‘It was ob- 
served standing upon a bough which overhung a stream, and 
intently watching some object which was floating down the 
water. When it came opposite to him he darted down upon 
it, took it in his claws, and was flying away with it, but 
being too heavy for him, it fell again into the water. Not 
to be thwarted, however, he again took his station upon 
another bough lower down the stream; there he awaited the 
arrival of the object, again repeated his former operation, and 
finally bore away the prize.’ 
Occasionally one will alight on the shoulder of a person 
sitting out of doors, or on the back of the rustic seat, and 
sometimes venture to take food from the hand. Im the winter 
Robins will far from unfrequently enter a room, and continue 
to frequent it for a month, and one has been known to enter 
a cottage daily, even in summer, to seek the aceustomed 
crumbs which he had been in the habit of finding there. 
Numerous indeed are the notices of the fearless confidence of 
the Redbreast—the natural cause of the favour with which 
in all countries in Europe he is regarded. 
The former instances are those of English occurrence; 
the following ones narrated by the late William Thompson, 
Esq., of Belfast, in his ‘Natural History of Ireland, will 
shew that there the Robin is the same as with us:—TIn the 
very mild winter of 1831-2, a Redbreast very frequently made 
one at a breakfast table, helping itself to all that it wanted. 
In summer it built in one of the outhouses, and visited the 
