VIII 



UNDER THE SHADOW OF WACHUSETT 



UNDER the shadow of Wachusett 

 Mountain, on the west, lies the little 

 township of Hubbardston, Massachu- 

 setts, with its rolling hills and chain of 

 stumpy picturesque ponds. The shad- 

 bush's fruit was falling and the mountain 

 laurel's glory had passed when I visited 

 in mid-July one of the farms on the old 

 Westminster Road. Worcester County is 

 ornithologically one of the most interest- 

 ing spots in Massachusetts, and I looked 

 forward to seeing and meeting many in- 

 teresting bird acquaintances during my 

 short stay. I had against me, of course, 

 the season, — well advanced summer. 



About the farm proper perhaps the 

 chimney swift was the most common bird, 

 and barn and tree swallows sat in long 

 rows on the telephone wire or circled 

 about the buildings. A pair of robins 

 had their nest on a piazza-post near where 



