The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-27


March is well its way
It's time you here
With your cheer-up gay.
"A. d. THOMPSON.
Robin Is here, all right and on time.
writes Erasmus Wilson in the Pttsburg
Gazette, although he has been more i'm evil
dence in the month of March in times past.
which shows that he knows what's what,
OF nearly so.
Whether the robin stands i'm with the
weather man. or is its own weather proph-
ct, does not matter, but somehow II knows
whether spring is going to be early or late
The probabilities are that it keeps on the
borders OF spring as the season advances
northWard from the regions of perpetual
spring and summer. From Florida and the
warmer portions of the Carolinas ii drifts
into Georgia, Alabama. Tennessee. Ken
lucky and across the Ohio, keeping steady
pace with the tide OF warm air as it flows
northward.
Now and again this tide is met by a tide
OF cold air from the snow lands, and for a
time there may be a sharp contest for the
mastery, but the robin never turns back.
III hops around in the snow and on frozen
ground. standing first on one foot and then
the other, or hiding in sheltered hooks. 1t
knows the cold snap will not be long. and re-
mains faithfully by it's good friend spring
in spite of frost and snow and cold winds,
as one good friend should stand by an.
other through trying times.
Robins may not be as plentiful hereafter
on account of the bird shooters and trap
pers in the South
IL appears that some one discovered that
robins fattened on rice or seeds found so
abundantly in the swamps of the Southern
States, make good pies. Soon the word
had passed along the line of big men who
shoot little birds under any trivial pretext,
or for no other reason than to crafty their
desires to kill something And these are
very careful not to attack anything that can
fight back. Nor do they give birds an even
chance for their lives. but take hundred-to-
one shots at them with double barreled
shotguns loaded with birdshot cartridges.
According to reports, thousands of nice fat
robins have been killed and baked into pies.
faint fair, do you think?
The robin is a harmless bird, and very
useful. too. In this 1t differs from the black
bird in great measure. Nor does. ii multi
ply like blackbird. or any of the depreda-
tory species.
Wonder if they have killed our robins,
for whose return to the same old nest we
so anxiously wait and watch at the first
sign Of spring?
The national committee of the Audubon
Society sends out educational leaflets. CIV
ing pictures and descriptions of our birds,
together with their habits and their choice
foods. These may be obtained by writing
to 525 Manhattan avenue. New York. a
few interesting points, taken from the
Robin leafiet, are herewith appended:
Wherever the robin breeds within the
confines Of civilization, man is its friend
and mutual attachment has grown up
that borders on sentiment The man ex-
tends his protection and the bird rewards
by making his home almost under the same
rooftree, displaying confidence in his hu-
man brother that is begotten by lack of
fear.
I'm the robins winter home in the South
land all is different for there no sentiment
but that OF gastronomics is displayed: the
bird is simply tender morsel to be made
an integral part of a stew or pie. In GEN.
trail Tennessee are large tracts of cedars,
the berries of which serve to attract my
riads of robins in the winter One small
hamlet in this district sends to market
annually enough robins to return $500 at 5
cents per dozen, equal to 10000 BIRDS
MY informant naively says: They are
easily caught at night in the roost in young
cedars we go TO the roost with torch and
kill them with sticks: others climb the
trees and catch the robins they fly in
"One of the officers of the Louisiana Au-
dubon Society furnishes the following in
formation regarding robin slaughter in his
own State: They are commonly killed for
home consumption and for marketing, a
conservative estimate of the number killed
annually being from quarter of a million
In ordinary years to a million when they
are unusually plenty. During the past win
ter one gunner killed over 800 robins in one
day. and In one village I'm the State the boys
and young men are vieing with each other
for record in robin killing. the present
high score being 200 birds in one day.
THAT the robin Is a very beneficial bird
there is no doubt although it is claimed by
some persons. especially small fruit grow
ers, that 1t eats cultivated fruit to an in
furious extent; This charge. the evidence
shows. is confined to special localities and
to a very limited period and is not at all
general.
that cultivated fruit is only eaten to any
serious extent during the months of June
and July, when IL amounts to 80 per cent /;
however, during the same months the in
sect food amounts TO over 40 per cent, thus
showing the benefit to largely exceed the
damage. The cultivated fruit eaten in the
month OF December was necessarily waste
fruit that was left on trees or vines as
an the Southern country where the robin
receives no protection whatever, IL cannot
the bird is not resident there except in the
winter when fruit Is not in season.
The horticuturist can protect his small
fruit crops by growing few wild fruits for
the robins and the cultivated kinds will not
be disturbed; but thousands of injurious
insects Will be eaten that would otherwise
be pest
Would you like a slice of robin pie?
Hardly, unless your stomach rules your
OF course. If food was scarce and you
were in great need of something TO eat, il
would be all right to catch robins or any
other kind OF birds to tide you over a hun
| CRY spell; but just 10 kill them for the fun
| of the thing. or merely for the novelty of
| eating robin pie-well, there are some who
| do IT, but you would scarcely expect it OF
| a Christian.
Can you recall the Welsh legend concern
/ ing the robin and how IL came by its red
breast? Our good Christian poet. Whittier,
| tells IL beautifully in verse:
| by old Welsh ne.yhbor over the way
Crept slowly out in the sun OF spring,
Pushed from her ears the locks OF gray,
And listened To hear the robin sing.
| Her grandson playing at marbles stopped
/ Tossed the bird who hopped
| From bough TO bough on the apple tree
| 'Nay,'' said the grandmother have you no,
heard.
MY poor bad boy, OF the fiery pit.
1 And how. drop by dro., this mercfful bird
Carries the water that quenches il?
He brings cool dew I'm his little bill
And let's II fall the souls OF sin:
i You the mark on his red breas 81 stu
OF fires that scorch as he drops IL in.
MY poor. brown. rudy, NY breast burned bird
Singing sweetly from limb TO limb.
Very Gear 10 the heart OF our Lord
Is he who pities the lost like him.