Lesson XX

Leading thought—The chipping sparrow is a cheerful and useful little neighbor. It builds a nest, lined with horsehair, in the shrubbery and vines about our homes and works hard in ridding our gardens of insect pests and seeds of weeds.

Methods—Begin this lesson with a nest of the chippy, which is so unmistakable that it may be identified when found in the winter. Make the study of this nest so interesting that the pupils will wait anxiously to watch for the birds which made it. As soon as the chippies appear, the questions should be asked, a few at a time, giving the children several weeks for the study.

The Nest

Observations—1. Where was this nest found? How high from the ground?

2. Was it under shelter? How was it supported?

3. Of what material is the outside of the nest? How is it fastened together? How do you suppose the bird wove this material together?

4. Of what material is the lining? Why is the bird that built this nest called the “hair bird?” From what animal do you think the lining of the nest came? How do you suppose the bird got it?

5. Do you think the nest was well hidden when the leaves were about it? Measure the nest across and also its depth; do you think the bird that made it is as large as the English sparrow?

The Bird

6. How can you tell the chippy from the English sparrow?

7. Describe in your note-book or orally the colors of the chippy as follows: beak, forehead, crown, marks above and through the eyes, cheeks, throat, breast, wings and tail. Note if the wings have whitish bars and how many.

8. Describe the shape of the beak as compared with that of the robin. What is this shaped bill meant for?

9. What is the food of the chippy? Why has it been called the doorstep-sparrow?

10. Note if the chippy catches flies or moths on the wing like the phœbe-bird.

11. Why should we protect the chippy and try to induce it to live near our gardens?

12. Does it run or hop when seeking food on the ground?

13. How early in the season does the chippy appear and where does it spend the winter?

14. Can you describe the chippy’s song? How do you think it won the name of chipping sparrow?

15. If you have the luck to find a pair of chippies nesting, keep a diary of your observations in your note-book covering the following points: Do both parents build the nest? How is the frame-work laid? How is the finishing done? The number and color of the eggs? Do both parents feed the young? How do young chippies act when they first leave the nest? How large are the young birds before the parents stop feeding them? What are the differences in color and markings between parents and young?

THE FIELD-SPARROW

A bubble of music floats, the slope of the hillside over;
A little wandering sparrow’s notes; and the bloom of yarrow and clover,
And the smell of sweet-fern and the bayberry leaf, on his ripple of song are stealing,
For he is a cheerful thief, the wealth of the fields revealing.

One syllable, clear and soft as a raindrop’s silvery patter,
Or a tinkling fairy-bell; heard aloft, in the midst of the merry chatter
Of robin and linnet and wren and jay, one syllable, oft repeated;
He has but a word to say, and of that he will not be cheated.

The singer I have not seen; but the song I arise and follow
The brown hills over, the pastures green, and into the sunlit hollow.
With a joy that his life unto mine has lent, I can feel my glad eyes glisten,
Though he hides in his happy tent, while I stand outside, and listen.

This way would I also sing, my dear little hillside neighbor!
A tender carol of peace to bring to the sunburnt fields of labor
Is better than making a loud ado; trill on, amid clover and yarrow!
There’s a heart-beat echoing you, and blessing you, blithe little sparrow!

—Lucy Larcom.