1887                                               
Aug. 10 
Concord, Massachusetts.
Clear with light S.W. wind.
  Starting at 10 a.m. I rowed down river to
the landing below Len Davis' hill taking my gun as
I was anxious to secure one of the brood of young
Cooper's Hawks seen yesterday. On entering the woods
I heard several of them squealing just over the
crest of the hill and after stealing cautiously
toward the spot finally saw one sitting of the
dead branch of a pine. He looked near enough in
the uncertain light of the woods but after shooting
at and missing him I paced the distance 
and found it nearly sixty yards
  The shot silenced and probably frightened
away the brood as I walked through the
woods in every direction without finding or
hearing any others. But later which I was
sitting at the base of a pine one of them
came gliding back from the tall scrub outside
and fortunately alighted in the top of an oak
within good range when I shot him. He was
alive with large winged ticks of the usual
Hawk-parasite kind.
  After taking lunch I took a long tramp to
the northward through the fields where Spelman & I
saw the Doves last spring. Found many Sparrows
but shot nothing save a Wood Plover.
  Came home late in the afternoon. The river
is very lovely now, Saggitaria in bloom.  Hibiscus
and cardinal flowers in their prime. Pondenterier
still conspicuous but past its prime. Red-wings
feeding on wild rice.