The sun., 1901-08-11
TWO PHASES OF THE ROBIN.
A Change That Explains Why sp0rtsmcn
Shoot the Birti I'm the South.

Those who watch tho conduct OF the
robins In the suburbs these days can easily
understand why they are a favorits game
with young sportsmen In Mississippi where
they winter in considerable focks and
sing not.
The robin seems to have little to do In
August but to feed himself abundantly
while he waits until his young are strong
enough for the long southwark flight. II
N well known that robins sometimes winter
In the thickets Of this region. perhaps be-
cause they find their young unfit for migra-
ton.
You may recognize the young robins
now by their form and size, though they
arc very different In their markings from
the parent birds. The breast Is speckled
instead Of having that warm brownish
red which has earned tho robin his pleasant
name Of red breast, nv importation. by the
way, from England The back OF the
young robin, too, is barred and fleckcd
In a fashion that helps TO distinguish him
from his elders. The young also still have
an awkwardness and timidity very different
from the bouncing ease and sauoiness
Of their elders
You may see them hunting for worms
on suburban lawns and Watching keenly
for the approach Of human beings. 1t
seems pretty plain that tho young have
yet TO learn that their kind IL the favorte
among the semi domestic birds OF lawn and
orchard, the Consciousness of which fact
gives the full-grown robin his confidence
In the presence OF men.
The gregarious instinct OF the robin,
hardly 20 bo noticed in the spring, Ia plainly
revealed by midsummer. For several
weeks past one could never enter subur-
ban field within easy reach OF water without
soaring up perhaps dozen robins. The
focts seem 10 increase in size AZ the season
advances, though they are never large
Near the time for migrating. the birds
seem uneasy. They sweep the fields In
fu~rirs and call to one another in excited
tones. Then some morning the lover OF the
birds wakes To find only few ROBINS left
in the region, doubtless, those who feel
themselves unable to essay the southern
flight, or DELAY In hopes that their young
may gain strength sufficient for migration.
Cock robin himself is much less beauti-
ful bird when the timo for his Southern
flight arrives than he Is In April, May and
June. His breast has paled little. and
his voice is harsh II is the mating season
that makes him beautiful and poet. His
high strong lit IL admirably expressive
Of his fine self-rcant character, and is
genuinely poetic In quality. But II In an
unmistakabe love song. without too much
ideality. No one could ever read in II tho
religious significance that one always
associates with the music Of the wood
thrush.
In fact tho robin Is a very 1t bird TO be
the favorite OF the practical and hard
headed Anglo-Saxon portion Of the Ameri-
can people and when he ceases To- be a
lover and poet he exhibits hard material
ism that IA said TO be Characteristic of his
special admirers II Is only few years
since a Southern resident of New York
caught shooting robins on Staten Island.
defended himself on the ground that the
robin was not song bird, but a harsh
voiced and voracious creature III only
for the spit He spoke OF the robin al he
had known him In the South. having never
seen him under the Transforming influence
OF tho romantic passion called love.