66 BIRDS THROUGH AN OPERA-GLASS. 
sat on the fence till the first rush and scramble 
were over, and then flew down among the hens to 
get their dinner. 
VIL. 
SONG SPARROW. 
THE song’ sparrow, of course, goes into the same 
pigeon-hole as chippy — No. 4, “finches, spar- 
rows, etc.,” — showing the same sparrow traits in 
coloring, size, bill, and flight; and the same con- 
trasts with the crow in No. 2, the “ blackbirds, 
orioles, ete.,” in No. 8, the “‘ swallows” in No. 6, 
and the robin and bluebird among the “ thrushes, 
bluebirds, ete.,” of No. 14. But with all this, our 
little friend has a marked individuality, and dit- 
fers from his small cousin chippy in temper and 
charm. I may be prejudiced, but while I admire 
chippy for his bravery and intelligence I do not 
find him as winsome as this simple little bird with 
his homely cheeriness. 
In the spring the song sparrow comes North a 
few days after the robin, and although the chill 
from the snow banks gives him a sore throat that 
makes his voice husky, you may hear him singing 
as brightly as if he had come back on purpose to 
bring spring to the poor snow-bound farmers. 
Even his chirp — of rich contralto quality com- 
pared with the thin chip of his cousin — has a 
