A SPARROW QUARTETTE. 71 



bird student against error, I will add that the 

 breasts of the young birds are striped quite exten- 

 sively with dusky and brown. 



Have you heard the song of the chippy ? It is 

 a very simple jingle, and can scarcely be called a 

 song. On a bright, sunshiny day in spring, he may 

 be seen perched on the ridge of a roof, or an outer 

 or upper limb of a tree, trilling away industriously 

 for an hour at a time if not disturbed. The ditty 

 reminds one of the peal of a string of small brass 

 bells, and though not precisely musical, it has a 

 dreamy, far-off melody about it that brings haunt- 

 ing memories of one's boyhood days, when one 

 played on the grassy slopes or along the willow- 

 fringed brook. I have heard that monotonous trill 

 at night, coming from the maples along the street, 

 and have no doubt that the bird sings in his dreams, 

 so replete is his budget of notes. 



The chipping sparrow is a brave little warrior, 

 often attacking birds of greater size when they 

 insult him or intrude on his domains. A friend 

 tells me about a battle he witnessed between a 

 chippy and an English sparrow. For a long time 

 the contest went on, and it was doubtful how it 

 would end; but at last the British combatant 

 received a stinging blow that struck terror to his 



