Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1878-10-16
The Robin Again.

The Robin Again.
Professor Perkins, of the Burlington Col
lege, sends criticism upon our article in re-
lation to the robin as an mi rious bird,
which appeared in the VERM, vt WATCH
MAN sometime since, not to us, but to
another paper which copied the article.
Under such circumstances we are of course
under no obligation to give the Professors
comments place in our columns, yet, as
we have no object in view save the estab-
lshment of the truth, we transfer them, as
follows;
lyon quote from DIR. Hoskins' Composition
on Birds in which the writer utterly condemns
the robin Now it il, think quite important that
we should know just what the truth is respecting
so common an animal ms the robin and am very
sure that the doctor Is entirely in CARDS
This bird and hope he will take another
look before he makes mp his mind to destroy 50
useful visitor; for the robin Is useful in very
high degree.
"Dr Hoskins saws: Neither does he touch
leaf-rollers nor the tent caterpars, nor the cab.
bage worms nor the potato bugs nor will he hurt
the cut-worm nor, in short, sing insect huitfnl
to vegetation Either the Doctors eyes must lie
gtowing dim or there must be very singular race
OF robins in his region. He is known to eat, as
part OF his regular diet the following insects:
curTnt worms, bag worms, RISE slug, cabbage
worms, Nav bug; many kinds OF locustS and
grasshoppers, corn worm, up le-ttee borer, cut
worms, canker worms. besides many Others
Earth worms he eats when they are plenty, but
in dry season they are not to be lad. 1t seems
~ me that it would be very unusual to watch
pair Of robins in the spring. for many minutes,
aud not see them catch many insects hmtlul to
vegetation.
"The statements that have often made in
public MS to the value ol the bin have not been
gue,ses knew of what affirmed, but rerhap-
some other authority may be OF value, and VIII
refer to few works, all of which are &c eped
among ornithologi.tS AS authority: Sauuel>, in
Birds of New England pages l56 and l3' says
speaking of the robin Perhaps none OF unr
birds are more unpopular with hofticultWist>
tnHn ths and will here give the observation,
Of different scientific men, aud my own, to SHOW
that the ureiudice is unjust aud nniounded Mr..
Trouvelat, who Is engaged in ne silk WOMB
| is troubled by the robins to degree sutpassll
most other binds. Through the season probably
ten robins for one of all others, thus modest him
| 10 test tile destructiveness of these mara deIs
he placed on Il small oak tree two thousand OF his
silk worms (lhese resemble when small the
| ,ouug caterpillar of the apple-tree moth.) In a
| few days they were all taken by cat-bltis and
| robins. This was in the beny season when an
abundance of food was easily accessible but
| they preferred the wo ms. Ag i'm Caterpi-
| lars and grubs of various kinds and insects con-
| stitute tile chief food Of these bids. The cut
/ worms emerge from the SOIL during tnt Hlbul 10
seek Tor food; and the robin which is one OF the
| earliest birds to 20 abroad in the morning l. very
dilligent at the dawn of day in hunting for these
Nerlnn before they have gone back to their
| retreat
Wilson Flagg says The fact is the robin is
almost exclusively nsectivorous, and uses fruit
As we do, only as a dessert, and not for snbsist-
| ence except in winter, when his insect food can
not be obtained He derives almost his entire
support from insects and grubs, and consumes
| probably Il greater variety Of species than any
| other Bird
| Professor Treadwell, in the proceedings of the
| Boston Society of Natural History, says: The
| food OF the robin while with lis consists prin-
| cipally OF worms various insects their arv1 and
eggs and few cherries OF worms and cherries
me, can obtain but lew, aud during but II short
period; and they are obliged, therefore, to sub
sst principally upon the great destroy ers of leaves
-canher worms and other kinds OF caterpillars
and bugs
Gentry, in 8 Life Histories of Birds, says:
I OF all species the robin is prominently insect
ivorous And he give "A list OF thirty two sptc
| OF insects, many ol them Injurious, found III the
| sonIachs VI II few robins, and this list by no
I means inc udes all OF which We have positive
knowledge AS constituting part OF the food oi
| the robin.
I" mi. lit go on quoting authorities almost in
definitely, but it is sufficient to say that have
never known that any OInltnOl' IT., cor amy one
else Who had diiigenil y and carefully watched
the robin, throughout he lChOie year, doubts that
| 1t was AN insect-d stioA ing bud. No one denies
| tlat lie eats cuerlies, or grapes or stlawberlles,
out that tne>e constitute his chef diet thoug out
the year is certainly not true. An examination
| OF almost any recently killed robins stOuaChs Viii
| rev cal tue facts in the case, and the man whu
Kills or drives away all robins from his olchald
aud & Iden will be very sne to pay heavy pen
ait, iur doing So lusse, from the dep edttu IL
vi Inst cts winch the binds Would have killed.
When it comes to question OF authorities
-ornithologcal, we mean, not agricultural
we are well aware that we are nowhere
The oruitholugists hold it to be their duty
10 stand up for every Bird unless it be 4
bird, like the crow, that destroys the egg;
aud young of other birds. As the champions
OF the feathered race they SIM y 90 in fol
the greatest good to the greatest number
We have not yet anatomised the crop OF {
robin, tor we have killed none, but next yea
We are going into the business and shal
give faithful report OF results
But no man can make us believe that TIN
robin eats the currant-w orm i'll preference
: to currants. There are robins enough abou
our grounds TO clean out every curran
worm there in two hours, yet we never missed
any 10 ia ii''N 80
cient in the work. 1t is just the same il
regard to the cabbage worm. The robiu
could easily clean out half an acre of thes
depredators, but close watching never ha
shown them to eat single worm. The ten
caterpillar will make his nest in the sam
tree with the robin and they will live i
peace and harmony side by side, one as grea
nuisance as the other. In regard to Gu
worms, if robin sees one on the ground h
will pick him up, but he will not hunt for thel
y in the corn and bean hills as the crow doe
As for the apple tree borer, how robin ca
v reach him, too far in the wood for even
- woodpecker to get at him, we leave Pr
u fessor Perkins to tell. We hope he will NJ
u be offended if we suggest that the field is
Il better place than some books to hunt fC
a facts as well as worms,