1888
March 24
Belmont, Massachusetts.
  Clear and cold with high W. wind.
  Off at 8 a. m. driving to Prospect St. where George waited
for me during the entire forenoon at the delta. The drive
to Belmont against the cutting wind was a severe experience
and we were both chilled through before we reached the
shelter of the great hill. On the eastern side of this hill
it was everywhere warm enough in the sun but the crest
& western slope was uncomfortably wind-swept even as late
as noon. Everything was frozen hard in the early morning.
  Starting from the delta I first descended the eastern slope
finding a flock of six Bluebirds in an orchard & a large
flock of Cedar Birds & Purple Finches in cedar woods.
I also saw a fine [male] Picus pubescens. The Purple Finches
were singing in an undertone & with them were a number
of Juncos singing the summer song without the additional
liquid notes often heard at this season.
  Returning to the delta & crossing the road I suddenly
heard in the distance the superb song of a Fox Sparrow.
Hurrying to the spot I found two of these birds with
a large flock of Purple Finches. The Sparrows like the
Finches were not singing their full song but still the
burst of rich music that came from the whole throng
was worth going a long distance to hear. There must have
been upwards of fifty Purple Finches in this flock &
nearly half of them were red males. They were feeding
on the ground under the cedars on a sunny eastern
slope sheltered from the wind.
  In the yellow pine woods I found no Crossbills
& only two Pine Linnets but there was a large flock
of Cedar Birds and a little troop of Titmice evidently
the same seen there on the 22nd for one of
them was again whistling the double phe-be or te-deing notes.