1889
June 21
Concord, Mass
Clear & warm with strong S. W. wind.
  To Concord with Faxon by 4 P. M. train. Took
my boat at the Manse and pulled down river to
about the middle of the Great Meadows. A few Swallows
and one Martin. A Grosbeak singing near "the Tent."
Bobolinks singing rather freely over the meadow. Quail
whistling in two places. A Rail (P. carolina) near the
middle of the meadow. No Marsh Wrens or Bitterns.
As we were floating in mid stream, just below the wooded
reach, four Wood Ducks passed, flying up river. They
came in from the Great Meadow and dipping down
over the trees followed the course of the river up
past "the tent" and out of sight. They flew in
pairs but I could not make out their colors.
  At about 6.30 P. M. we started up river and rowed
without stopping past the town to above the
Fitchburg bridge. In the meadow across the river
from the French farm Faxon heard the
mysterious kik-kik-kik, cree late in the afternoon
of June 19th and the chief object of our visit to-
night was to make sure that the bird is really
settled there and to locate him as accurately as
possible before making an attempt on his life,
with gun and dog, to-morrow.
  For nearly an hour, however, we paddled &
rowed or floated near the spot without getting 
the now familiar cry although we imagined that
we heard it several times in various directions, but
always it turned out to be either imagination or the
distant call of a Robin or Red-wing. At length it
became time to start back for our train & we