Identifier: storiesaboutbird00kirb (find matches)
Title: Stories about birds of land and water
Year: 1874 (1870s)
Authors: Kirby, Mary, 1817-1893 Kirby, Elizabeth, 1823-1873
Subjects: Birds -- Juvenile literature
Publisher: Hartford (Conn.) : American Publishing Co.
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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was stopped at once,and the nest removed. The robins, nothing daunted, now began to build a third time, in a newshoe that was placed on a shelf in the dressing-room. They were allowed togo on with the work until the nest was finished. Then, as the shoe waswanted to be worn with its fellow, the nest was taken carefully out, and placedin an old shoe instead. The robins did not seem to mind the change in theleast. They filled up the under part of the shoe with oak leaves, and verysoon the eggs were laid and hatched. The windows of the room were keptopen a little, so that the parent birds could go backwards and forwards asmuch as they chose. Nothing could exceed their tameness. They madethemselves perfectly at home; and when the gentleman who used the dressing- THE ROBm, 79 room was shaving in the morning, the two birds would settle on the top ofthe glass with worms in their mouths, and look at him with the utmostfreedom. A robin that lived in a garden became so tame that he picked worms
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ROBIN RED-B.REAST. from the hand of the gardener, and would sit on his knee at dinner-time tohave a share of the crumbs. The gentleman who owned the garden was veryfond of the robin ; and when winter came, he put him into an empty room,that he might have shelter as well as food. And lest the bird should belonely, he found a partner for him, to cheer his solitude. 8o STORIES ABOUT BIRDS. Early in the spring the robins were let out to fly. But they had beenvery busy meanwhile, and had built a pretty little nest, out of what fewmaterials they could find. A (q\v withered stalks of horehound hung from the ceiling, to be used asa medicine if any of the family took cold. The birds had pulled it down,and used it for the outside of the nest. The inside was lined with the downof another plant, kept there to feed a tame bullfinch. And the result of allwas a very tolerable little nest.

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