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 would 
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 with 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 
