Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-10-19
The Golden Robin.

-NAOa taO AoOiA Slue,S LII duo q
general silence prevails among our ia
miliar birds, save the frequent brief
notes of the song sparrow, it is delight
full to hear once more the loud, musical
call of the golden robin just returned
| from a months vacation in the woods
have never ascertained to nv full sat-
isfaction why these birds leave US imme-
diately after their young have flown. and
why they return about the middle of
August. l have never traced their
course, but have reason to believe they
! retire to the woods, perhaps for the
protection of their young. They are
absent about three weeks, and ON their
| return we hear their song again, though
| it is not so loud or so frequent as in the
early summer
The golden robin in the early summer
is the most conspicuous and attractive
bird that visits the New England States.
| He is constantly moving from tree to
tree in quest of insects. His principal
colors are scarlet and gold, and save the
! scarlet tanager he is the most gorgeously
| arrayed of all our summer visitants.
| His notes remind one of those of the
| Virginia red bird; they are louder, but
as often repeated, always charming and
never wearisome. The lively song of
the red bird is perhaps less varied, but
it is even more constantly repeated.
| have always looked for the arrival
of the golden robins on the first appear
ance of the cherry blossoms. Seldom
in any year of my life have they failed
to make their appearance Simultaneous
ly. Ii dozen flowers could be counted
on cherry tree in any of our gardens,
we were sure to hear the song of the
golden robin poured forth as If to an
nounce them. In the sping of this year
GSS2) this coincidence failed. A cherry
tree near my window was in full bloom
week before any golden robin was seen
or heard in the neighborhood. April
and May of this year were months of
unprecedented cold, and the birds
seemed to be affected by it more than
vegetation; but rainstorm of weeks
duration, that began Just as the cherry
blossoms appeared, was probably the
chief cause of the lateness of the golden
robins arrival.
The golden robin is not heard so early
in the morning as the common robin,
and he does not, like that bird, sit on
pernh and Uasha~-eo--si-.s-o.5iJ"- WYNN
ever he alights on tree he utters his
few loud notes, and perhaps, repeats
them when he is about to fly away.
Hence the song may be regarded as an
nouncing every change of his situation.
This loud and musical strain often re-
peated greatly enlivens the early morn
ing chorus, and contributes more to the
hilarity of early summer than the note
of any other bird. EE Il
Though the golden robin sings no
continuous song, he always finishes his
strain. so that his pauses are very unlike
those of the cat bird, who repeats two or
three notes as if he had begun to sing
and then stops. If he was going to say
the words, ADO We know what ye-~ are
about?' he would say, 'sDo ye,n then
pause minute. Again he would say,
ssDo We know then pause five min
utes.- Perhaps the next time he might
repeat the whole sentence. His notes
except on rare occasions, when he may
sing perhaps five minutes without
panse-are fragmentary. The golden
robin delivers his whole strain, though
it is short.
The nest of the golden robin is an ex-
traordinary specimen OF bird architec-
ture: but it is so well known that any
description of it to be new must be false.
1t has been known sometimes to weave
several yards of tape or Irvine into its
nest. The bird evidently understands
the art of tying, though perhaps it could
not tie regular sailors knot 1t simply
winds string or tape round the sup
porting branches, and then weaves the
remainder into the nest. Its knowledge
of the art is just sufficient to answer its
ends, and it can proceed no further.-
wilson FYagg, IN Boston Transcript.