PATRICIDAL ROBINS.
In spite of the host of observers, many odd questions in respect of the life of birds remain unanswered. For example,
it is a popular belief—on which one query reaches me— that robins are killed by their own young in the third year. I knew one example of this. A robin built for-three years
inside the studio of an artist who lived in a Surrey village. In the next year one of the old birds met a youngster, pre- sumably one of his own, in a duel within the studio, .and was killed outright. Such fights, I think, only occur where nesting sites are few or a bird clings very faithfully to the same spot. Many of us have robin acquaintances that have lived to our knowledge for more than three years. In general robins are perhaps more jealous of their territory than most other small birds, though they are not so jealous as, for example, the peregrine falcon, which Seldom allows a rival within a mile or more. Among the many territorial fights that have been observed, it is the rule that the pair which first staked out . the claim defeats the intruding rival, an astonishing illustration of, the truth that twice armed is he who knows his quarrel just. * * * *
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