1893
May 13
Concord, Mass.
  A cold stormy day with raging E. to N.E. wind
driving sheets of rain athwart the landscape. A great
change from the hot, still weather of yesterday. 
[margin}Ball's Hill[/margin]
  I spent the day planting trees and at evening
returned to the Buttricks crossing the meadows at
a furious pace under reefed sail.
  It was not a favorable day for observing birds
& I saw very few. The two Water Thrushes and three
White-throats which spent yesterday in the bushes
along the river were there through to-day also. 
An Oriole visited my woods this morning and 
sand cheerily despite the rain. Bobolinks were
also singing freely at evening as I was sailing
up river. 
[margin]Birds[/margin]
  At the Buttricks I saw a Hummingbird in the
cherry trees now in full bloom. The family tell 
me that several Hummingbirds appeared in these
trees yesterday. 
[margin]Arrival of 
Hummingbirds[/margin]
  Al day long Swallows in great numbers were flying
close over the water about Ball's Hill. There were at
least 500 over the flooded Great Meadow when I
sailed across it this evening. They reminded me strongly
of Petrels as skimmed just above the crests of the
waves crossing & recrossing each others' paths in a
mazy dance. It was bewildering to watch them closely. They seemed to find many insects floating
on the surface for they were continually dipping their bills 
in the water. The majority were Barn Swallows with Bank Swallows 
next in abundance & a few White bellies. I did [?] see a single Swift.
[margin]Swallows
on the
flooded 
meadows.[/margin]