ii8 Birds Every Child Should Know 



close upon her treasures without causing her 

 to do more than flutter an eye -lid. Every 

 member of the family parted the twigs of box- 

 wood that enclosed the nest to look upon her 

 pretty little reddish-brown head with a gray 

 stripe over the eye and a dark-brown line run- 

 ning apparently through it. All of us gently 

 stroked her from time to time. She w^ould 

 occasionally leave the nest for only a minute or 

 two to pick up the crumbs, chickweed, and 

 canary seed scattered for her about the veran- 

 dah floor, and showed not the slightest fear 

 when we went on w4th our regular occupations. 

 We were the breathlessly excited ones, while 

 she hopped calmly about our feet. The chippy 

 is wonderfully tame — perhaps the tamest bird 

 that we have. 



You may be sure there was joy in the house- 

 hold when the nest in the boxwood contained 

 baby chippies one morning — not a trace of egg- 

 shells which had been carried away early. 

 Insects were the only approved baby -food and 

 we were greatly astonished to see what large 

 ones were thrust down the tiny, gaping throats 

 every few minutes. Instead of flying straight 

 to the nest, both parents would frequently stop 

 to rest or get proper direction on the back or 

 the arm of a chair where some one was sitting. 

 In eight days the babies began to explore the 

 verandah. Then they left us suddenly without 



