AM E RIO AN ORNITHOLOGY. 



i6i 



amazing how little interest a great many take in our common birds. I 

 have known men, — acknowledged sportsmen, — who knew where every 

 favorite haunt in their vicinity, for grouse, quail or woodcock, was loc- 

 ated, but who knew absolutely nothing concerning even the most com- 

 mon of any of the other birds. To them, there were, besides the game 

 birds, but three other kinds; — crows, "hen hawks," and either sparrows 

 or "chippies," this latter class including all birds smaller than a crow. 

 Not only did they not know their names, but I have seen them pass 

 right under a tree where a grosbeak or tanager were pouring forth their 

 melody without either hearing it or being aware of the existence of 

 such a bird. 



In view of such extreme cases of ignorance it is not extraordinary 

 that so many fail to distinguish between the Chipping Sparrow and the 

 the imported English pest which is so common about the streets. Con- 

 sequently the young enthusiast is frequently discouraged when describ- 

 ing to some friend, the unusual tameness or odd nesting site of some 

 of our wild sparrows, to have that individual remark that some of them 

 built up under his piazza or back of the blinds, which places, the English 

 Sparrows so often frequent, to the sorrow of the owners of the dwelling. 



Chipping Sparrows are perhaps more often than any other bird, forced 

 to be the nurse to young Cowbirds, very often losing their own young 

 as a result of caring for this interloper. It not only appears ludicrous 

 but seems to be the height of folly for this little bird to feed that large 

 youngster. I have seen fully grown young cowbirds, having complete 

 powers of flight, with fluttering wings and the supplicant notes of the 

 just fledged young, begging for the food which the little bird, barely a 



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Fig. 3. 



ALL HUNGRY. 



Photo from life by C. A. Reed. 



