--altogether as
trim a little gentleman as Peter was acquainted with. It was Chippy, as
everybody calls the Chipping Sparrow, the smallest of the family.

Peter looked a little foolish. "I forgot all about Chippy," said he.
"Now I think of it, I have found Chippy here in the Old Orchard ever
since I can remember. I never have seen his nest because I never
happened to think about looking for it. Does he build a trashy nest like
his cousin, Bully?"

Johnny Chuck laughed. "I should say not!" he exclaimed. "Twice Chippy
and Mrs. Chippy have built their nest in this very old apple-tree. There
is no trash in their nest, I can tell you! It is just as dainty as they
are, and not a bit bigger than it has to be. It is made mostly of little
fine, dry roots, and it is lined inside with horse-hair."

"What's that?" Peter's voice sounded as it he suspected that Johnny
Chuck was trying to fool him.

"It's a fact," said Johnny, nodding his head gravely. "Goodness knows
where they find it these days, but find it they do. Here comes Chippy
himself; ask him."

Chippy and Mrs. Chippy came flitting from tree to tree until they were
on a branch right over Peter and Johnny. "Hello!" cried Peter. "You
folks seem very busy. Haven't you finished building your nest yet?"

"Nearly," replied Chippy. "It is all done but the horsehair. We are on
our way up to Farmer Brown's barnyard now to look for some. You haven't
seen any around anywhere, have you?"

Peter and Johnny shook their heads, and Peter confessed that he wouldn't
know horsehair if he saw it. He often had found hair from the coats of
Reddy Fox and Old Man Coyote and Digger the Badger and Lightfoot the
Deer, but hair from the coat of a horse was altogether another matter.

"It isn't hair from the coat of a horse that we want," cried Chippy, as
he prepared to fly after Mrs. Chippy. "It is long hair form the tail
or mane of a horse that we must have. It makes the very nicest kind of
lining for a nest."

Chippy and Mrs. Chippy were gone a long time, but when they did return
each was carrying a long black hair. They had found what they wanted,
and Mrs. Chippy was in high spirits because, as she took pains to
explain to Peter, that little nest would not soon be ready for the four
beautiful little blue eggs with black spots on one end she meant to lay
in it.

"I just love Chippy and Mrs. Chippy," said Peter, as they watched their
two little feathered friends putting the finishing touc