THE CHIPPING SPARROW 37 



on the point of halting to snap him up, but 

 never quite does it ; and so, between* disap- 

 pointment and expectation, is soon disgusted, and 

 returns to pursue his more legitimate means of 

 subsistence. 



Last summer I made this record in my note- 

 book : " A nest of young robins in the maple in 

 front of the house being fed by a chipping spar- 

 row. The little sparrow is very attentive ; seems 

 decidedly fond of her adopted babies. The old 

 robins resent her services, and hustle her out of 

 the tree whenever they find her near the nest. 

 (It was this hurried departure of Chippy from 

 the tree that first attracted my attention.) She 

 watches her chances, and comes with food in 

 their absence. The young birds are about ready 

 to fly, and when the chippy feeds them her head 

 fairly disappears in their capacious mouths. She 

 jerks it back as if she were afraid of being swal- 

 lowed. Then she lingers near them on the edge of 

 the nest, and seems to admire them. When she sees 

 the old robin coming, she spreads her wings in an 

 attitude of defense, and then flies away. I won- 

 der if she has had the experience of rearing a 

 cow-bunting ? " (A day later.) " The robins are 

 out of the nest, and the little sparrow continues 

 to feed them. She approaches them rather tim- 



