Rob Roy—always lay on the porch to keep an eye out for stray cats, hawks and squirrels.
ROBIN
When Mr. Robin comes, a little later than the bluebirds, he wears a smart new spring suit of brown, with a gay red vest. He welcomes his little mate with a happy, mellow song. "Chirp, chirp," she answers faintly from the grass. "I'm rather tired from the journey, dear." "Oh, cheer-up, cheer-up!" he answers. Down he drops to her side, and perks his knowing little head to this side and that, as if to say: "I think I hear a worm!" Suddenly he stabs the ground with his bill, braces his stout legs, gives a jerk and up comes a fat grub for Mrs. Robin's wedding breakfast Up to a low branch he flies and sings her another song o pride and joy.
All the male birds have a love song for their mates. Both birds have call notes, and harsh alarm notes to warn of danger, and to frighten away enemies. And they have talking tones. Mates will often flit about near each other, and exchange remarks. Very likely they are just talking about the weather, or the food supply, or their neighbors. You can spend a whole summe watching and listening to one family of birds, and learn something new and interesting every day.
If ever you do that take a thrush for first choice. The robin, the bluebird, the brown thrasher and the mocking bird are thrushes. Nearly all the thrushes have beautiful manners and sweet singing voices. The mocking bird is one of the greatest singers of the feathered world. He is all our own, too, for he is not found in any country of the old world. He nests in our warm southern states. But once in a great while he comes north. So, it was the pride of the doctor's heart to have a pair of mockers nesting in a spruce tree in his garden, for two or three summers.
When the mocking bird begins to sing he springs or bounds upward, as if too happy to stay on the earth. The mocking bird is as long as the robin, but more slender. In color he is rather sober—gray above, with dark brown wings and tail that are tipped and lined with white. When the moon is full he often sings all night long. The only other bird that does this is the old-world nightingale. Our
