1891.
Oct 27
Concord, Massachusetts.
Concord. - Cloudy with light rain, during most of
the morning. Afternoon gloomy with high N.W. wind
and falling temperature.
  Spent the forenoon and part of the afternoon
in the house, writing. At 4 P.M. started down
river in the Buttrick's boat. The pickerel weed
and other semi-aquatic vegetation along the
banks has been killed by the late frosts and
the river now has a forlorn aspect which was
heightened this afternoon, by the almost total
absence of bird life. I saw only a few Tree Sparrows
in the bushes along the stream and heard
nothing but the occasional scream of a distant
Jay or the cawing of a Crow.
  On reaching Hunt's Pond I landed on the 
south bank of the river and entered the Great
Meadows. Four Marsh Hawks were beating about
at one time, in fact for several minutes they
kept close together and appeared to be hunting
in company. Three of them are old males, the
fourth a brown bird, apparently a female. I
squatted in the grass for a moment and, when
one of the males came within hearing, squeaked
like a mouse. The bird at once turned and
came directly towards me, flying very
swiftly just above the grass, and in a 
perfectly straight line. He was within
sixty or seventy yards when he discovered
either me or my dog and sheered off.
Perhaps I moved my head a little. At 
all events the bird, beyond question, discovered
[margin]Four Marsh Hawks hunting together[/margin]