May 24
Continued 
from
following
page
Concord, Massachusetts.
I next paddled around the great bend and drove
to the wooded hill below, where I lunched and spent
most of the afternoon.
  On my way up river, I looked rather closely for Red-
wings' nests and found no less than seven, three with 
four eggs, three with three eggs and one with one egg.
  While thus engaged I started a Virginia Rail which
drew up its legs and flew swiftly across the river.
Shortly afterwards it uttered its' peculiar grunting 
song from a dense growth of the blue-joint in which
it had taken shelter. Two Carolina Rails were also
calling out on the Great Meadows and a Bittern
"pumped" these at frequent intervals for an hour or
more.
  The woods are now in nearly full leaf and the 
Maples along the river quite so. The button bushes are
fast getting green. The Bull-frogs were in full cry
to-day for the first time, although I have heard a 
solitary one balloon occasionally for a week past.
  At night the common toads still keep up a great
racket but all have changed to their late, or summer
song. The peculiar snoring cry of the marsh frog.
(R. palustris) has nearly or quite ceased. It was a 
prominent nocturnal sound up to nearly the end of
last week. The musquito season is now at its height
they were nearly as numerous to-day as in Maine and 
annoyed me seriously, especially when I landed. In 
places, swarms followed me back to the boat and for hun-
dred of yards along the river after I left the boat.
  I saw one Night and one Green Heron. both near
Balls' Hill, the former flying high over the woods.