1893
April 22 
(No 2)
Concord, Mass.
Damsdale & Hutchins's woods
  At 4 P.M. I started on a walk. The wind had
risen but it was very warm and birds were numerous
and in good song for an April afternoon.
As I passed the Burrill's and thence down the slope
to the meadow beyond I listened in vain for
Meadow Larks. It is now put beyond question that
nearly all of our Concord birds perished last winter.
A Robin was singing and a Flicker shouting.
[margin]Meadow Larks
nearly all
dead[/margin]
  Entering Derby's lane I walked slowly through it
noticing, with sorrow, that the owner has cut many
of the smaller trees and removed the bark from one
side of the trunk of the noble hemlock that stands
on the bank of the brook. This has been done since
my last visit, for what purpose it is difficult
to imagine.
  Crossing the Damsdale I next took the path through
the Common Lot where in the midst of the
chestnut & oak woods I saw several little flocks
of Yellow Palm Warblers accompanied by Yellow rumps
and heard a Fox Sparrow give its strong chirp
several times very near me among some young pines.
  A Partridge was drumming at infrequent intervals
in Oak Meadow swamp exactly where I used to hear one
last year. Taking the entire duration of the drumming
from the first thump to the end of the terminal roll
I made it (with my stop watch) 6,8, and 8 1/2 seconds respectively for three
consecutive times. The total number of thumps including
those of the roll varied from about 25 to about 30 each time.
[margin]Ruffed
Grouse 
drumming[/margin]