OCR Text |
Show Robm. OT i4 Redbreast Acta I TPt rru Scandalously In ' 3-. I ek,r tho South. Many of hla northern friends will bt shocked to learn that Ilobln lied-breast lied-breast leads a double Ufa. Well-dressed, Well-dressed, Jaunty, brimming over with good nature, devoted to hit wife and babies, he Is a model ot respecttblllty. It's true we do not like to share with blm our very earliest peas and choicest cherries, but be Is so great a favorite and bit thieving It carried on with tuch calm assurnnce that we readily ! forgive Hethat no enemies but the family cat. All this here at home. When Ilobln goea south for bis winter win-ter vacation he Is tempted and falls It happens In this way In December and January the roblna find on the gulf coast a ctlmite that aultt them. They alio find an ornamental tree 1 bearing a hard, yellow berry about ns l large as a small pea China berries of which they are extremely fond j Now, the China berry, while Innocent In appearance. Is a very dangerous I food for robins It contains some narcotic nar-cotic principle that affects a robin Jutt ss alcohol affects a man. It makes Ilobln drunk, and when he It drunk he acta precisely like a drunken man Kxhllarated at first, he dtnees about and sinus In a "We-won't-go-home-tlll-morning" sort of way. This happy condition Is soon followed by a drunken drunk-en stupor the bright y grow dull, the hesd droops, and the bird loaea all sense of danger. While In this stupid stato the negro boya easily pick the birds from the low branches, wlure they are perched After a little lit-tle the birds recover, but only to hunt more China berries As long as there are China berries Itobln Is consistently and persistently drunk. He apparently apparent-ly eata the berries for tht slnglt purpose pur-pose of getting drunk and because he Ilkee IL He Isn't hungry, for he Is gorged with the berries to such an extent ex-tent that when, as sometimes happens, ho rotates his drunken hold and falls to the ground he bursts open so stut-fad stut-fad It he. Now It mutt not be thought that evtn a robin can undergo thlt tort of debauch for a month or tlx weeks' without Its having some effect on htm. Itobln soon loses hit self-respect, grows ragged, neglecta hit bath, ami appeara generally riliroputable. He ls a very sad-looking bird, and northern visitors who don t know about China berries csn't understand what haa caused the change He reforms wheoi , he must that Is, when the China bir-l ' rles are all gone, but until then be apt parently never thinks of IL With thej disappearance ot the China berries thf birds begin to think of their nortbtrn bomet, their famll) duties, and a more, protalo but healthful diet ot ttraw-. berries and angle worms In February4 they gather In countless thousands In, the cano brakes of Tennetse and Ala-j bamn, apparently waiting only fori warmer weather before beginning their migration At thla teason the visitor from tho north, who would about atl soon think of eating the pet canary, finds "robin pie' 'a common dish oal southern tables On Inquiring h learns that the robins are slaughtered by the thousands Mtn with torches and clubt visit the roosts by night and, knock the dated birds oft their perches In great numbers. Thoy nre brought) to market In grain sacks. The writer! heard ot one man bringing Into man ket at ono time 180 dozen, a alngleJ j ; nlght'a murderuua work The robins i aru told on tht streets for from 20 cents to 30 cents a dosen There Is not law against the wholesale ataughtef but many people In the south are Interesting In-teresting themselves In securing suora legislation aa will put a stop to IL One J reason for the Indifference with which i our favorite Is regarded Is that he b i only n winter visitor and deetn't com- I pete aa a song bird with the cardinal ' and the mocking bird, both of which j are common and great favorites. Muos i of thla pot hunting It done by negmw j for sport The robins are alto shot ! but the slaughter In thlt way Is smal? j compared with the wholesale dertruc ! tlon of the torch and the club DM It U0 Free Tress I m |