1886
June 27
Concord, Massachusetts.
  Clear with high N.W. Winds: a fine cool day.
Happening to awake at 3 a.m. I lay listening to 
the birds for a while. Then rose, dressed and went
to the top of Ripley's Hill to see the sun rise.
  The first bird voice, that of a Robin which
called a few times at 3:10 and then began singing
two minutes later it was answered by another
and at 3:15 all the Robins in the neighborhood
were in the full cry. What a noise they made! It was
too confused and bosturous to the real music;
rather a clamor like a crowd shooting. It must 
rise nearly at the same moment, and with few
breaks from Canada to Virginia, thence Southward
along the Alleghanies to Georgia and with the 
advancing day, extend westward across the 
plains until it dies away in the canons of the 
Rocky Mountains.
  At 3:30 a Wood Pewer sang, next a Cat Bird
and then chippies, Least Flycatchers and Grass Finches
The chippies for several minutes uttered a success-
ion of hissing trills with only two or three seconds
internal between and very different from their day
songs.
  As I crossed the road at 3:50 I nearly stepped
on a Song Sparrow with was running about [?]
the dust perhaps feeding and which did not seem
to see me in the twilight. By this time many of 
the Robuis had ceased singing and I noticed
several running on the turf on the hill-side. A
Grass Finch was singing on a rock in the Middle 
of the field. Its son was tender, subdued and 
very touching in its simple eusteuess.