Were it not for the English sparrow the yards of our country residences would be alive with these companionable birds. They not only enjoy the society of man, but also the presence of their own kind. The male is very attentive and will share food that he has obtained with his mate, for whom he shows the greatest fondness. In fact, the love for each other exhibited by a pair of these sparrows is remarkable. Then, too, their attachment for the home bush, in which they have passed a happy season, is frequently shown by their returning to the same bush or one near by, not only the next season, but probably for several.

The delicate little home of the Chippy is sometimes a neatly and closely woven fabrication of the hairs of horses and cows. Because of this habit of using hair in its nest the Chippy is frequently called the Hair bird. More often, however, the hair is used in the lining, which is protected by an outer wall made of grasses, fine roots and twigs. The nest is seldom placed less than five feet from the ground. In this home, with its felt like lining, are laid the four or five bluish green eggs, the larger ends of which are speckled with brown or black. The Chippy is not contented with a single family and usually raises two in a season.

The patient devotion of the parent birds to their young is very interesting. They teach the little birds to gather their own food and carefully guard them till they have gained sufficient strength and confidence to care for themselves. Even then parents and offspring remain near each other, lovingly feeding in the same pasture, till the cold autumn drives them to their summer home in the Southern States and Mexico.