1886
May 17
Concord, Massachusetts.
  Clear with cold blustering N.W. Wind.
With Purdee, spent the morning on the Lime Kiln
road. We first attempted to get the nest of the 
Hairy Woodpecker found yesterday; but to our 
surprise and disappointment found it contained
young. I shot the [male] before this fact was dis-
covered. Afterwards we had a good tramp
through the wild orchards, birch runs and
open oak woodlands.
  Found the nest of a Flying Squirrel in an
old Woodpecker's hole, low down. The [female] squir-
rel looked out when I rapped on the trunk. 
P. climbed the tree, when she ran up the 
longest stem and "flew" at least thirty yards.
  Nest held two young as large as field mice,
and were furred, a little paler in color 
than their mother, but otherwise similar. They
had their eyes closed, but one opened them
for a moment. They uttered a fine shrill
chirping, closely similar to that of the common
black cricket. This immediately brought back
the mother who took a long flight directly
to the tree, and alighted within two feet of 
Purdie's head. She uttered continuously the same
cricket-like chirping, and when P. held out
one of the young in the his hand, climbed slowly 
and timidly to within six inches of it,
but would come no nearer. She was a 
beautiful little creature, with her great melt-
ing black eyes (which seemed to bear the sunlight
without shrinking) and her soft mouse colored
coat. She seemed perfectly gentle and showed