1893 
May 14 
(No 4)     
Concord, Mass.                                                                       
  As I hoisted my sail to leave the spot after                                            
having seen the Bittern pump three times a Wood Duck,
evidently alarmed, by the white sail uttered a succession
of o'clas in the bushes near me but did not fly.
[margin]Wood Duck[/margin]
  Early this morning I saw a pair of Hummingbirds                         
in our blossoming cherry tree. After they had fed
awhile among the flowers the female alighted in an
apple tree when the male rising to about 20 ft.
above her began darting down over her back &
forth turning short about in the air at the
end of each swoop which resembled the swing of
a pendulum only the curve was much deeper, thus:
[diagram]
[margin]Hummingbird 
swooping over 
its mate[/margin]
  The male while thus engaged kept up an
incessant shrill chirping. He did not touch
or very closely approach the female & finally
flew away.
  The Yellow winged Sparrow is quite as crepuscular                                         
a songster as the Henslow's & Savannah Sparrows.
I heard one this evening when the last Robin
was singing his last notes & all the other
birds had ceased & was struck for the first
time by the frying quality of the song - like
slowly rising fat.
[margin]Yellow winged 
Sparrow[/margin]