Birds of Oregon and WasJiington 93 



neck, olive-brown : hack, clear olive-green; rump, more 

 yellowish ; throat and breast, bright yellow. 



A summer resident. 



THE WESTERN CHIPPING SPARROW. 



General Description : 



Upper parts : crown, rufous ; back, slightly red- 

 dish-brown. 



Under parts: light soft gray. 



Length, 5 inches and more. 

 Found in open fields, often near houses. 



This little Sparrow is the smallest of its fam- 

 ily. It has its own peculiarly quiet and fascin- 

 ating manners and habits. It has some of the 

 domestic proclivities of the corresponding east- 

 ern variety. The latter is found about back- 

 door yards and even upon door-steps, looking for 

 crumbs, and no bird has a more winsome look or 

 dainty habit. He should neyer be mistaken 

 for the l^^nglish or House Sparrow, which greed- 

 ily takes all crumbs meant for others. The 

 *' Chippy," as he is more familiarly called, may 

 be heard uttering his characteristic song or call, 

 ** Chip, chip, chip, chip, chip," often and rapidly 

 repeated. It sounds, sometimes, like a mellow 

 chirring of a grasshopper. Occasionally, in the 



