A TRIBE OF WEED WARRIORS 227 



" Did you hear it sing? " asked Nat. 



"■ No — it only said ' chip — chippy — chip.' " 



" Chippies have two songs," said the Doctor, " One 

 is a kind of chirp or trill like an insect's note — 

 'trr-r-r-r-r.' They give this usually when they first 

 wake up in the morning. The other is a pretty little 

 melody, but is less frequently heard." 



"If they eat seed, why don't they stay here all 

 winter ? " asked Rap ; " yet I'm sure they don't." 



"They are not as hardy as some of their brothers, 

 and do not like our winter weather; but even in 

 autumn you may mistake them for some other Spar- 

 row, for then Mr. Chippy takes off his brown velvet 

 cap, and his dainty little head is striped. 



The Chipping Sparrow 



Length about five inches. 



A dark chestnut cap, a light stripe over the eye, and a dark 

 stripe behind the eye ; forehead and bill black ; back streaked with 

 black, brown, and buff ; rump slate-gray ; wings and tail dusky. 



Under parts plain light gray, almost white on throat and belly, 

 darker on breast. 



A Citizen of Xorth America, nesting from the Gulf of Mexico 

 to Canada, wintering in the Southern States and beyond. 



A AA^eed Warrior and a member of the Tree Trappers and 

 Ground Gleaners in nesting-time. 



THE SLATE-COLORED JUKCO 



(The Snowbird) 



" Here we have a northern winter bird — or, at least, 

 one that we associate with winter and call the Snow- 

 bird ; for everybody sees him on his autumn and win- 

 ter travels, and knows his Sparrow-like call-note, while 



