1889
May 30
Belmont, Mass.
Cloudy and cool with occasional brisk showers.
  To Belmont at 8.30 returning to dinner at 1.30 P.M.
Left the carriage just above the Prospect St. crossroads or below
(& to the south of) Arlington Heights thence striking across
country in a south westerly direction, past the old "Owl
orchard" (or rather its site for the trees were all cut down
last winter), down into the deep valley at the head of
the Cotton runs and finally across to the western end
of Prospect St. where the carriage met me.
  There were two Indigo Birds and a Purple Finch singing
at the point where I started but no Prairie Warblers. I 
shot at one of the Indigos but missed. In the pasture
just north of the Owl orchard I found two Prairie
Warblers singing and search long but vainly for their nests
The barberry bushes are in profusion over this pasture
but they are rather small and thin as a rule. I found
only one nest here - a Field Sparrow's in a red cedar about
a foot above the ground. It held one fresh egg.
  In the valley to the west of this hill I heard &
saw many common birds but nothing of interest until
I reached the swamp where the oak woods were cut off
eight or ten years ago. Gray Birches have taken their place
and already are dense and tall. I was surprised to find
on the south edge of this [delete]path[/delete] swamp not ten yards
from the old wood road an extensive bed of Dwarf cornel
the first that I have seen in this part of Mass.
It was in full bloom and fairly dense in places.
I came upon it suddenly while looking for the
nest of a Golden-winged Warbler a [male] of which I
shot in a solitary, small black oak between the swamp
& the path. Needless to say I found neither his mate
[margin]Dwarf cornel[/margin]