New-York tribune., 1911-09-24

rhe north wind dota bow and we shall
have snow,
1nd what will the robin do then poor
thing?
This rhyme was made in England, where
the robin redbreasts stay all winter i'm
the yillaecs and where, ifsthe north wind
does blow. poor Robin has TO scurry around
and find a warm corner in barn or a
thick bush 20 hide in. else he would be
frozen To- death But here in America II
IS different An the little men and women
know that long before the north wind
blows and the first snow falls jolly Robin
redhreast SAYS goodhy 20 his friends in
the North and flies away 20 spend the WIN
ter IN the warm Southland. He has to 60
because ne would surely freeze to death
up here bat YOU may be sure he doesn t
ike it half as well down there even II
they do have finer weather and flowers all
wintor long. That probably is why ne
hurrics back % us again I'm the spring, and
is usually the first sign we have that WIN
ter is over lie is so glad 20 get back that
he is no end gay and sociahle with MS. All
of us have known robins who were not a
bit afraid Of us. Why they'll come and
play I'm the stream from the hose and eat
crumbs from ones ycranda rail and build
nests near our houses. Well, all this Is
because hardly a boy has ever been known
10 aim at one Of them with "a bean shooter.
The robin is too jolly a fellow for that
we arc so glad 90 see him when he comes
baCN that We forget to ask him If he has
had. a pleasant winter II we did he would
tell us strange stories OF how the people
hunted him and Killed thousands Of MS
brothers and friends. Down there II Is
quite stylish % eat robins; they are baked
and hroilcd and stuffed and gobbcd down.
SO hundreds of BOYS. and men, too, so out
at night with sticks and shake the trees
where poor Mr.. and Mrs. Robin are roost-
ing, and lanterns 60 blind their poor, sleepy
eyes,. and bag in which 10 dump all the
poor things that are caught And they
catch hundreds I'm one night, too, because
the robins like 90 stay together at roostng
time They come from all over in great
foeks that make the sky dark. and all set
tie down for the night within a space Of
about a mile or two SNuaro
You sec they don't Ike the hopping
around alone down there because they feel
suspicious and uneasy, and because If they
pick at a cherry or two people think they
are COINS 90 cat up their crops. OF
course the little men and little women who
read The Tribune know lois better than
that u there were not any robins and
other birds tho crops would not amount TO
much: the worms would eat the crops up.
The robin comes ana eats the worms, and
we would not know how TO get on without
him.
Down South the robin cats mostly insects.
too. but occasionally for dessert he takes
peck at the black gum trees or the cab
bago palmetto. or the berries Of the China
trees which grow beside the negro cabins.
lf he eats too many of the juicy China
berries however, very awful thing hap
pens Poor robin gets drunk! His head
wabHcs from side to side and he clngs stu
Iidly To- the nearest bush. Then the hunt
ors boys are able TO approach and gather
the foolish drunken little birds into their
tags. Those which escape this fate soon
set over their fondncss for China berries,
and hurry North, where they won't be
made ashamed by seeing the foolish, home
lv little berries which got them into so
much trouble
Now. some people in the South have been
thinking that il was not fair to give the
robin China berries TO eat and then capt
ure him wien hc was made stupid by them.
So they have tried TO get laws passed for
Bidding hunters 10 Kill robins at all, re-
memberiuc of course, that robins eat a
great marry wicked insects and weeyils
which would iniure the farmers crops
When Mrs Russell Sage, with all her
mint of money, heard how people in the
South We're treating the robins, she made
mp her mind that she would use some of
her money To- teach them better She gave
the money TO the National Association OF
Audubon Societies, and asked the directors
To- spend fl I'm the way that would do the
most good. SO the boys and girls I'm the
South have been formed into clubs calle,
Junior Audubon societies and every Oh,
who joins promises TO do everything III
can 20 watch out, not only for the robins
but for an wild birds Baltimore orioles
blucbirds. mockng birds, purple martens
snowy herons, and ever so many others
They study an about them, too, and {
help them Mrs. Sage is sending TO eac
member of these clubs leaflets about IN
birds. There is separate leahet for cacI
bird, and best of all there is one shee
loose. with a very pretty picture Of tn
bird. with all its bright colors. and an
other sheet, just outline. So, any one wit
paint or crayOn box can copy the color
on 20 the outline drawing. keeping one ey
ON the picture. IL is dead easy, If YOUR
only careful enough Then YOU viii remem
be- just what color the birds tail is anC
what his wings are like. and ALL anC
you're sure TO know him when YOU see hin
in the field.
Little Southern boys, now that they know
Ing the Audubon societies in droyes. and
they are having the times of their lives col
ltcung left over bird nests (of course, long
aftcr the birds have left them and puttine
UP nesting boxes and arranging bird
tables" ia trees and putting out drinking