AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



165. 



the top of the hill. Fig. i, "A Chippy Portrait" is a picture of the male 

 Chipping Sparrow on his first visit to the nest after we had found it. 

 He is intently regarding the camera and his curiosity is shown by the 

 elevated feathers on top of his head, thereby making it look as though 

 he had a crest. Two of the younsters may also be seen, one on either 

 side of him. He came simply to investigate and did not bring any food 

 on this trip. 



Fig. 5- 



Photo from life C. A. Reed. 



THE CHIPPY FAMILY. 



A few moments later Mrs. Chippy was seen coming from the tree 

 towards the nest, bringing a small caterpillar and the father at once 

 left. As the female reached the edge of the nest, all of the young 

 rushed to meet her. They were so eager for the food that they could 

 not wait to have their pictures taken, and so are poorly shown in Fig. 

 2. These two photographs and two others in which both the adults 

 and the little ones beat the camera shutter are all that were made the 

 first day. 



The following day was one of those few perfect photographic days, 

 when all conditions are satisfactory. The sun was concealed by a uni- 

 form mass of clouds of just sufficient density to prevent it from casting 

 a shadow. At nine o'clock we were back in the grove again to see our 

 new acquaintances. Although the young had appeared very smart the 

 day before, we were, nevertheless, surprised to find that they had all 

 left the nest. Two of them were sitting on the limbs of a neighboring 

 dead pine and the other two had flown off. After watching the old 

 birds from a distance, for quite a while, we at last located the missing 



