1886
Aug. 19
Concord, Massachusetts.
Clear, slightly warmer than yesterday (72 [degrees] at noon).
  Spent the forenoon in the covers east of 
town - what M. and I used to call Hall's.
[margin[Hall's[/margin]
  In the birches north of the turnpike I found
a mixed flock consisting of about 10 chickadees,
5 D. pennsylvanica, 4 H. ruficapilla and a Red-eye
or two. I shot several D. pennsylvanica and three
H. ruficapilla, one in first plumage with a few patches
of fall plumage, one mid-way through moult, & one
in full autumnal dress. I also shot at and missed,
or perhaps wounded slightly, a Scarlet Tanager
which was apparently in clear red and black plumage.
The red looked very dark and the bird was
evidently one of the finest, deepest-colored males.
It was a bitter disappointment losing him. He
appeared to be in perfect feather, the wings tail etc
showing no signs of raggedness or missing feathers.
[margin]Tanager in red plumage[/margin]
  In the square wood lot of mixed pines, swamp
oaks etc. was another flock comprising 8 or 10 Chickadees,
1 Nashville, several Red-eyes, and adult [male] Red-[?], a
Creeper or two, and Indigo Bird in brown plumage, several
Chestnut-sided Warblers, and two or three Creepers
(Miniotilta). I shot only one bird from this
flock, a D. pennsylvanica.
  With the exception of these flocks I saw only
a few scatter G. [?], M. caroliniensis, H. rufus,
and a single solitary Oven-bird. In many
places the trees and thickets seemed absolutely
devoid of bird-life & silent & deserted.
  The birches were literally swarming with green
Aphidae, many of them winged. They collected on
[margin]Aphidae[/margin]