Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-06-26
This and That
'uTEGS =. ITUCeUeIL
"ARGONNE PLACE,

Dear Sir:
L enjoy reading your column in The
Evening Star and was particularly in
terested in your mention Of the habits
OF robins last week, and hope you will
be able to answer my question.
I'm a tree outside my window a
mother robin built a nest and is now
engaged in the process of Matching, even
though as stated in your article, her
mate does at times consider it necessary
to force her back to her duty.
However, there is considerable bird
singing most any time of the day, and
it has occurred to me that the father
is undertaking to entertain the mother
with song even though he is not willing
to help in Matching the eggs by taking
q turn at setting
Am I right?
Thanking YOU. am
Sincerely M. H. B."
You are quite right.
Most male birds sing to their mates
on the nest
Wet weather, too, inspires the robin
to song.
The father robin has two songs, one
for everyday and one for rainy weather
Both are the bubbling, varbling sort
Of music often Overlooked" by even
ardent bird students. These songs blend
SO well with the music of the other
birds that some persons do not know
either robin song.
Yet there Is no outdoor music more
colorful or true to nature, and every
one is urged to take time OF and listen
carefully to robins, so that their songs
will become as much part Of the bird
fancier's mind as the songs of the wood
thrush and cardinal.
One must first get the robin songs
firmly in mind, however, and for this
purpose it is necessary to see the bird
and realize that the song one hears Is
coming from its bill and none other.
The male robin does his best to keep
the mother at her duties. He seems
particularly insistent on her doing the
Matching from the very start, but the
mother robin has other ideas.
Her mate, with typical masculine i'm
patience, wants her to start breeding
the first egg, but she will not begin this
job until all four eggs are laid.
Brooding takes 10 days.
The male robin has a real reason for
wishing her to start at once.
He does not want that egg to be
punctured by wren, who often in
dulges in such nefarious work, or eaten
by squirrel.
He does his best to see that such
things do not happen. He seems to
believe if she would get busy at hatch
ing there would be less chance, since
she not only would protect them but
also would put them out of sight of
marauders.
The male robin sings even more than
most birds, and the reason for this is
that he is a great believer in territory.
Birds sing not only because 1t is
spring, but also because it is their way
of stalking of territory. Not more than
three or four families to the acre is the
unwritten law Of birdland. There are,
of course, some exceptions
The robin which sings the loudest
manages, evidently, to make other rob-
ms and other species understand that
they must not come too close to his nest.
This is serious, because too many
birds in given space means too many
babies, and hence too few insects and
worms. Since all baby birds, both seed
eaters and insect eaters, are fed on
worms and insects no matter what type
fare they eat as adults, the competition
during June and July is terrific; every
mother and father bird has difficulty
in finding enough baby food" for the
yawning mouths, to say nothing OF
providing for their own needs.