1886
Aug. 28
Concord, Massachusetts.
  Clear and sultry with no wind. Ther. 67[degrees] at sunrise,
81[degrees] at noon.
  After spending two days at Cambridge I
returned to Concord last night and this
morning resumed my field work by spending
the forenoon on and behind Ripley's Hill.
[margin] Ripley's Hill 
and Swamp[/margin]
  Ascending the hill I found a large flock of
Bluebirds and Sparrows (among them many Grass
Finches) in the apple orchard and with them
a single Grosbeak. The flock also extended into
the pitch pines when its make-up was somewhat
changed by the presence of several Pine Warblers,
Phoebees, Wood Pewees, Chickadees and six Flickers
the latter amusing themselves by chasing, and being
chased by, a young Accipter fiscus which they
seemed to regard as an agreeable play fellow &
who certainly showed no  disposition to abut
this strange confidence. This Hawk was very
tame flying directly to me and alighting in a
low pine directly over my head; I did not try
to shoot him.
  On the eastern slope of the hill I found only
a few Robins and an D.Pennsylvanica. Hearing
birds chirping in the swamp below I entered
and explored it for the first time. It
closely resembles the famous Maple Swamp of
Cambridge having a similarly dense growth of red maples
and gray birches with occasional glade-like
openings fringed with alders, azalea, spice bush
etc. The ground beneath the trees is generally
free from weeds or low undergrowth but in