Mr. Holmes, in his "Account of the United States of America," relates
that some of the birds of North America are remarkable for poisoning
their young; but this is only done if they are encaged or confined.
The _robin_ is one of the birds thus noticed. If the young be taken,
and placed in a cage where the parent birds can discover them, they
will attend upon and feed them for a season; but after the lapse of a
few days, or when the young are fledged, the old ones appear very
uneasy, and endeavour to discover some way by which they may escape.
If, however, they perceive that there is no hope of accomplishing
their purpose, they procure for them a sort of berry, which is an
infallible poison; _apparently disdaining the thought that their
offspring should be slaves_!
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