1893.
May 14
Concord, Mass.                                                                                                               
Cloudy and nearly dead calm up to 10 a.m. Then the                                       
sun came out & a light S.E. breeze started. The afternoon
was exceedingly beautiful with just a trace of soft haze in
the distance, the air soft & just agreeably warm.
[margin]Ball's Hill[/margin]
  To Balls' Hill at 10 a.m. in the Stella Maris paddling
down. Just before hasting I found at our landing a                                                      
Bass of about a pound in weight perfectly fresh but
with the tail & about [delete]one third of[/delete] the position third
of the body eaten off by the mink Mr Buttrick thinks.
Saw no less than five Muskrats between Hunt's Pond &
Dakin's Hill two of them a pair, evidently, the male
pursuing the female closely uttering continuously the
murmuring call. this at times sounded almost like an
wailing cry of a child. the female wound in
and out among the stems of some flooded bushes apparently
trying her best to escape from the amorous attentions
of her mate but probably really giving him some
encouragement to perserve. Once however when he overtook
and sprang upon her from behind she sprang clear
out of water & then down thus escaping him. the two
animals making as loud a splash as if a big dog had
jumped into the water. I heard these loud
splashing probably on the night of the 10 when
muskrats were out & calling in unusual numbers.  After
this the female dove she came up some distance away &
made straight off up river; the male turned back
into the bushes & sought her in every direction vainly
cutting back & forth wailing incessantly & as I
thought in despairing tones. I do not think he
found her again on this occasion
[margin]Bass eaten
by mink[/margin]
[margin]Muskrats[/margin]