Canoe trip on Concord River.
1891
April 24
(no. 3)
Mass.
Concord. - hoping to hear a Whippoorwill but in this
we were disappointed.
  At about 8 P.M. the moon rose over Fairhaven
Hill, at first silvering the tops of the trees on
the western shore, then flooding the river valley
with mellow light. We returned to the pine grove
at about 8.30 and found the tall, straight,
rough-barked trunks bathed in moonlight looking
as if covered with hoar frost. In the hope of hearing
the Owl again we decided to camp here; nor
were we disappointed for, apparently roused by
the noise which we made in drawing the
canoes from the water over the narrow belt
of marsh to the dry ground beneath the
outer line of trees, the bird began hooting
again in the middle of the woods. A fire
which we kindled seemed to attract him
for he came into the top of a pine nearly
over us and hooted steadily at intervals
varying from ten to fifteen seconds. His voice
was deep, yet soft and cooing like that of a
Carolina Dove. It did not seem at all loud
even when he was very near and when he retreated
to a distance of fifty yards or more it seemed 
to come from some place half a mile or more 
away. The bird did not appear to be 
disturbed by our voices or even by our moving
about directly under him except when one
of us stepped on dry twigs the cracking of
which invariably drove him off for awhile
although he did not mind the loud and