1891
April 13
To Davis hill, Lexington, with Faxon.
Mass.
Lexington. - The morning's experience is described on 
the preceeding sheet. I took the 5:30 P. M. 
train to Lexington where I met Faxon by 
appointment and went with him to the top 
of Davis' Hill to  heard the Woodcock. The 
evening was delightful decidedly the warmest 
and most spring-like thus far. Robins 
singing on all sides in the village. Meadow 
Larks whistling in the bordering fields, the 
swamps ringing with the bell-like chorus
of Hylas, the croaking, quacking discord of
Wood Frogs and that eminently April sound 
the trilling of Garden Toads, out to night for 
the first time according to Faxon. 
[margin]First Toads 
trilling[/margin]
  The hilltop was absolutely silent save for the 
various bird & frog voices that came faintly 
to our ears from the lowlands that we had 
left behind until, at 6:44, our Woodcock began 
peeping. I got within 50 yds. of him and 
when he made his first ascent ran to the 
rock on the edge of his peeping ground. He 
alighted on returning to the ground, within 
exactly nine yards of us and for two 
or three minutes I watched him through my 
glass under circumstances so favorable as 
to leave absolutely nothing to be desired. In 
fact I saw the whole performance of peeping 
and [?] to quite as good advantage as 
if I had him within a yard of us in broad 
daylight. The experience is described fully in 
my systematic notes. Returned by 8 P. M. train
Faxon accompanying me.
[margin]Woodcock 
song[/margin]