194 AMERICAN ROBIN.
been in thousands, and again visit it. In Massachusetts and Maine, many
spend the most severe winters in the neighbourhood of warm springs and
spongy low grounds sheltered from the north winds. In spring they return
northward in pairs, the males having then become exceedingly irritable
and pugnacious.
The gentle and lively disposition of the Robin when raised in the
cage, and the simplicity of his song, of which he is very lavish in confinement,
render him a special favourite in the Middle Districts, where he
is as generally kept as the Mocking Bird is in the Southern States. It
feeds on bread soaked in either milk or water, and on all kinds of fruit.
Being equally fond of insects, it seizes on all that enter its prison. It
will follow its owner, and come to his call, peck at his finger, or kiss his
mouth, with seeming pleasure. It is a long-lived bird, and instances are
reported of its having been kept for nearly twenty years. It suffers
much in the moult, even in the wild state, and when in captivity loses
nearly all its feathers at once.
The young obtain their full plumage by the first spring, being spotted
on the breast, and otherwise marked, as in the plate. When in confinement
they become darker and less brilliant in the colours, than when
at liberty.
So much do certain notes of the Robin resemble those of the European
Blackbird, that frequently while in England the cry of the latter, as it
flew hurriedly off from a hedge-row, reminded me of that of the former
when similarly surprised, and while in America the Robin has in the
same manner recalled the Blackbird to my recollection.
T U R D U S M I G R A T O R I U S , Linn. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 292. Lath. Ind. Ornith. vol. i.
p. 330. Ch. Bonaparte, Synops. of Birds of the United States, p. 75.
M E R U X A M I G R A T O R I A , Swains, and Richards. Fauna Bor. Amer. part ii. p. 176'.
R O B I N , T U R D U S M I G R A T O R I U S , Wils. Amer. Ornith. vol. i. p. 35. pi. ii. fig. 2.
Nuttall, Manual, part i. p. 338.
Adult Male. Plate CXXXI. Fig. 1.
Bill of moderate length, rather strong, compressed, acute; upper mandible
slightly arched in its dorsal line, with acute edges, which are notched
close to the declinate tip; lower mandible nearly straight along the back.
Nostrils basal, oblong, half closed above by a membrane. The general
form is rather slender. Feet longish, rather strong; tarsus compressed,
anteriorly covered with a few long scutella, sharp behind ; toes scutellate
AMERICAN ROBIN. 195
above, free ; the outer and middle united to the second joint, claws arched,
compressed, acute.
Plumage soft and rather blended. Wings of moderate length rounded,
the first primary extremely short, the third and fourth longest. Tail
rather long, even, of twelve broad rounded feathers.
Bill lemon-yellow, the tip brownish, in old birds the whole is yellow.
Iris hazel. Feet pale brown. Upper part and sides of the head brownishblack,
fading on the back of the neck ; the upper parts in general, smokegrey,
tinged on the shoulders with brown. The wings and tail blackishbrown,
with greyish edges; the first row of small wing-coverts tipped
with pale-grey, and the end of the inner web of the outermost tail-feather,
together with the tip of the next, white. An interrupted circle of three
lines of white round the eye. Chin white, spotted with brownish-black.
The under surface generally, including the wing-coverts, reddish-orange,
fading on the abdomen into whitish.
Length 10 inches, extent of wings 14; bill along the ridge £, along
the edge \ \ ; tarsus l^g, middle toe 1 ^ .
Adult Female. Plate CXXXI. Fig. 2.
The colours of the female are paler, but resemble those of the male;
Her dimensions are a little less, the length varying from 9 to 10 inches.
Young Birds. Plate CXXXI. Fig. 3 , 3 , 3 , 3 , 3 .
The young birds are spotted with blackish-brown on the fore-neck,
breast, and sides, which are of a paler reddish tint; the upper parts have the
shafts of the feathers whitish, and the bill is dark-brown. It is remarkable
that all the Thrushes known to me which have the breast of a uniform
tint when old, have it spotted when young, shewing that in their
mode of colouring the different species of the genus agree in this respect
at one period or other.
THE ROCK OR CHESTNUT OAK.
Q U E R C U S M O K T A N A , Wittd. Sp. PI. vol. iv. p. 440. Pursh, Flor. Amer. Sept. vol. ii.
p. 634. Mich. Arbr. Forest, vol. i. p. 56. pi. 8 — M O N U Í C I A P O L Y A N D R I A , Linn.
A M E N T A C E . / E , Juss.
This species of oak is distinguished by its obovate or oblong largely
toothed or sinuate leaves, which are acuminate, and tapering at the base,
N 2