Outlines for Scout Workers

Outlines for Scout Workers I. The Western Robin

BY MISS EUGENIA MORF AND DELBERT W. PARRATT "In the sunshine and the rain I hear the robin in the lane Singing cheerily, Cheer up, cheer up; Cheerily, cheerily, cheer up." 1. From what name does the word, robin, come? 2. To what bird family does the robin belong? How can you tell? Name one or two other birds of this family. 3. Note size, shape, and color. Contrast the male and female robin in size and color. Why these differences? 4. The robin prefers to live in what' kind of places, highland or lowland, open or wooded? Why there? 5. On what does this bird subsist? In what way is he suited to procure this food? 6. Tell where the robin generally builds its nest and of what the nest is made. Which bird chooses the nest site? Which bird builds the nest? 7. Tell of the number, size, and color of the eggs. How many broods are usually hatched in a season? 8._ Explain how the baby robins are fed, and suggest the amount and kind of food they swallow. 9. Contrast the song of the male robin with that of the female. Why the difference? During what season does the robin sing most ? Why then?

10. Name the enemies of this beautiful bird and its nest. Tell how these are warded off.
    11. the robin a desirable bird? Give two reasons for your

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answer. In what manner is it protected by law? 12. Tell how to make and place a bird house suitable for this friendly creature. Old boards or boxes are better than new ones for bird houses. Why? Care should be exercised in painting such a house. In what way and why? *

13. Where does the robin spend the winter? HANDY MATERIAL Robin is a pet name for Robert. Strictly speaking our robin is not a robin at all but a true thrush. This is readily shown by the characteristic spots on the breasts of the young. Solitaires and bluebirds also belong to the thrush family. The robin measures some ten inches from tip of beak to tip of tail and, as with most birds, the male is somewhat larger than the female. His responsibility as defender of and protector to his mate and her little ones necessitates strength and consequently additional size. The male has the crown and sides of the head black the rest ;

of the upper parts are slaty-olive, becoming black on the tail. The chin and throat are white, the throat streaked with black. The under parts are white and gray iris, dark brown bill, yellow, ; ;

dusky at the tip legs, dark horny. The female is duller in color ;

and the black feathers of her crown are edged with gray. Both have the familiar red breast, but that of the male is somewhat brighter than that of the female. In bird society the female chooses her partner and as a result the male is placed in competition with others of his sex for de- sired attentions from the lady birds. To be successful in this, he must outdo the others in personal appearance and in other qualities so pleasing to the more fortunate females. The male robin, therefore, showing the brightest colors, and singing the prettiest song, stands the best chance of getting mated. For this reason the male puts on his best colors and sings his winning songs during the mating seasons. The female, on the other hand, is placed in no such keen competition and of course needs no brilliant colors or charming song. Her business largely is to secrete herself while nesting, and to aid in this she dresses in lighter and duller colors. The nearer her colors blend with those surrounding her nest the more she is protected from searching enemies. The robin ranges from Mexico to Greenland, and in winter is abundant in the Southern States. He is called a lowland bird and prefers to live in well-wooded regions, but he is often found in the woods of our higher mountains. Insects amount to ninety-five per cent of the food of the young, which consume nigh on their weight of insect food every

twenty-four hours. Adult birds add berries, wild fruit, farm fruit,and cherries to their diet. It is said that if Russian mulber- ries are planted, this fruit will divert the birds from the cherries. The long sharp bill of the robin is well suited for procuring the insect food. Perhaps you have noticed the robin when hopping over the lawn take a listening attitude, then suddenly dart his long bill into the ground and procure the worm. The apple tree is generally chosen for the nest, on account of the forked limbs, but the robin obeys no law in the choice of a nesting site, for the elm, and other trees are also chosen, and she has even been known to build the nest upon old boards. The nest takes three or four days to construct and is made of thick layers of moss, straw, weeds, and roots, in which a cavity is rounded, plastered with mud and lined with fine grasses. Often a rainy day is selected for the work. The mother bird chooses the place for the nest, but she often makes an unwise choice so far as safety is concerned. Both male and female work in building the nest. There are from four to six greenish blue eggs in the nest, and two or three broods in a season. Eleven days sitting are required to hatch the young. As already mentioned, the male bird is the one that sings, the female only chirps. For reasons just stated his prettiest song is in the mating season. He sings mostly in the early morning, in the evening, and also during and after a rain storm. He also sings very often during the night. His song varies greatly, espe- cially as to quality. "It has been described as a disconnected warble in rather a narrow compass of voice and with slight varia- tions." When in the cherry tree the song is muffled when around ;

the nest, the notes are low, but clear and distinct. The good which the robin does in semi-arid regions by de- stroying insects and the like is beyond estimation. The city ordinance against fire arms, air guns, and flippers, and the state law against the destruction of all insectivorous birds should have the support of all. Robins are often induced to build their nests in bird houses or boxes. They prefer a box having a floor space of about six by eight inches with the roof some eight inches above the floor. Both ends should be left open and the box should be secured to a stout limb from six to fifteen feet from the ground. Best results will be had if the box is placed where the birds would ordinarily build if left to their own selection. Avoid the mistake of expecting the robins to immediately nest in a freshly painted box made of new wood. The birds are wise enough to want some assurance that the newly placed house is more than a temporary structure. This want is, in a measure, satisfied if the box be made of old, weathered boards with freshly sawed ends smeared with watery mud. In case the box is painted, there is little likelihood that it

will tenanted until the smell of paint has completely disap- he:

peared. It is host not to paint the inside of the box at all. No mistake is made by putting up the boxes some weeks before they are to be used. The robin's slight migration is due to the supply of food rather than the severity of the climate. Where wild berries abound, it will remain through the winter, though the ground may be cov-

ered with snow, and the mercury at freezing point. In case the bird does migrate, it goes but a short distance south, and returns to us in February, remaining here until late fall.

TO THE FIRST ROBIN A welcome warm awaits thee, Bright herald of the spring; Thy voice of winning sweetness Has still its merry ring. The winter days are over And buttercups and clover Will gladden all the way In which thy feet may stray, Whilst thou singest, singest Thy old familiar song, As the seasons roll along, Robin, Robin! Thou hast tarried long and late, A questioner of fate, Feeling cautiously thy way, In thy coming day by day. Now take a crumb or two, And cheer up anew; The pastures, bleak and sere, In beauty will appear; And the roaring northern blast Be a memory of the past. Whilst thou singest, singest Thy old familiar song, As the seasons roll along, Robin, Robin! Oh, thou'lt be surpassing sweet, With thy nimble little feet Tripping lightly o'er the lawn At the breaking of the dawn. And, "Good-morning, summer's coming." Not a harbinger of spring. However sweetly he may sing, Can sing as thou singest, singest Thy old familiar song. As the seasons roll along, Robin, Robin! Henry Stevenson Washburn. For additional material on the robin see Prof. J. H. Paul's Out of Doors in The West; How the Robin Got Its Red Breast. in Nature Myths; and stories by Cook, and The Western Robin, bv Claude T. Barnes, published in Vol. 49, page 243, of the Juve- nile Instructor.