same time, on a particular part of the Cathedral, when, after warbling
a few notes lor a short time, it flew to another particular spot,
and from thence to a third, generally terminating its course by
alighting on the pavement.' This appreciation of time has been observed
by others, 1 Robins,' says Mr. Thompson, ' a n d other small
birds seem to have a good idea of time, as evinced by their coming
to particular spots at the period of the day when food is given to
them, and in some cases at none other.'
Rut if apparently unfriendly with other birds, and quarrelsome
with those of his own kind, with us he is familiar, and on the best
of terms, and though the instances of this on record must be few
indeed compared with those that have not been thus noticed, yet they
are most amply abundant to give him a character which no other
bird possesses.
It may frequently be noticed how nearly one will approach to some
poor man at work upon the high-roads, the crumbs from whose frugal
meal he has doubtless been made, or has made himself, a partaker
of. Others, accustomed to be fed at a window-sill, have often been
known to tap at the window if shut, as if to remind their friends
of their wants. In one case, recorded in the 'Zoologist,' page 1211,
Mr. Robert M. Inngwood mentions one which thus tapped at a window
without any previous acquaintance with the owners of the house to
which it belonged:—'The following is an instance of remarkable tamcness
in a Robin: I was sitting in a room with a blazing wood fire,
when my attention was attracted by two or three taps at the window
opposite the fire-place, which I found were caused by a Robin. I
opened the window, and in a few minutes the bird flew direct into
the room, and after surveying the different parts of it, commenced
feeding on the flics in the window; I put some crumbs on the floor,
and he almost directly began to feed on them, and then commenced
singing; he stayed in the room about twenty minutes, and then took
his departure, having shewn no signs of fear, and affording myself
and others much pleasure.
The following occurs in ' T h e Naturalist,'old series, volume iii, page
44:—'Early in winter, a Robin was seen to frequent a mulberry tree
close to the window of the late Mr. Haydon's printing office, (the
father of the late well-known artist,) where it sang very sweetly. The
workmen opened the window, and at length the bird flew in, and
being fed, did not seem at all uneasy of its new situation. It sang
almost daily, generally in the morning and evening, wholly disregarding
the operations of the workmen, and apparently well satisfied with its
new companions, until the following spring. The window being opened
at that season, it flew away, but, singular to say, returned to the tree
at the approach of winter, and was again received into the office,
where it took up its old station till March. Some of the workmen
would not believe that it was the same bird, and one of them, having
caught it, marked the breast feathers, under the throat, with printingink.
The next spring came, and the bird took its departure, as before,
returning again at the end of September to the old mulberry tree,
with several other birds of its kind. The window was quickly opened
to the welcome old songster, when it flew into the office, followed
by two other birds, probably its young. It displayed greater familiarity
than before, even perching on the caps of the men, and there singing.'
In ' T h e Naturalist' for March, 1853, there is a very interesting
account given, as forwarded to me by Mrs. Harriet Murchison, of the
Priory, Bicester, of one of these birds, whose tameness in a room
equalled that of any of those I have here narrated. Mr. Blyth has
recorded one which was amazingly tame and would follow persons
about the garden for food, and take it from their hands; and Mr.
Thompson also relates another history, forwarded to him by a lady
from Ilazelbank, in the county of Antrim. Two birds became quite
tame, one of them feeding out of the hand quite fearlessly:—'In a
short time he became more familiar, and seemed to watch our approaches,
for he frequently met us on the little walk leading from the house,
and when we did not attend to him, he would come dashing past,
striking my bonnet violently with his wings, or fluttering in my lace;
he would sometimes sit upon a twig, as if to hold a conversation
with me, for he would be quite silent while I talked with him,
and so soon as I paused, he began a little soft and sweet muttering
in his throat, as if in reply, which he «ouhl cease the moment I
again spoke. When we found him absent, and called, Terry! Terry!
he was soon at our side; and his hearing must be very acute, for
I have seen him flying towards us from a very great distance. To
give an idea of his extreme composure and satisfaction while sitting
on the hand, he has more than once, after feeding, tucked up one of
his little feet under his feathers, as we often see barn-door fowls do,
and roosting on a finger, deliberately prepare himself for sleep, which
on one occasion he indulged in so long as to completely weary his
perch. lie would eat off my lap, hop about me without any concern,
pick at my shawl, and then look up in my face and begin his little
song or prattle.' The occupation of land and notions about tenant-right
would seem to have been the cause of various disputes, and on such
occasions, the writer says, ' I t would have been amusing, had it not
been distressing, to view these beauteous little creatures, who seemed