1893
May 22
(No 2)    
Concord, Mass.
One of the most marked phenomenons of this                                              
interesting spring is the extreme scarcity of some of
the small hermit Thrushes passed us in
[?] very small numbers that Hoff [?] saw only four,
Faxon but two or three, which I [?] with just one!
The Wilsons thrushes appeared at about the [?]
time and in fair numbers but not a single Olin?
back or [?] has been as yet reported.
Faxon thinks they are yet to come but it seems
to me more probale that they have followed the
example of the Hermits and passed with by some
other route.
[margin] Scarcity of thrushes[/margin]

On May 10 I found a Song Sparrow nest under a tuft                                      
of dead grass within a few yds of the cabin. It contained
3 eggs and a fourth was added the next morning.
Yesterday at 3 P.M. I flushed the bird and saw all four
eggs in the nest. This morning at 8 o'clock I again
examined it and found taht the eggs had hatched in 
the interim. the fourth was unhatched at 4 P>M. to-day
& is probably add [?]. The parent bird wa sitting on the
10th but if the time of incubation be taken from that
of the completion of the set viz. May 11th it was, in this
instance just eleven dasy [symbols]  ( see next page)
Yesterday morning when I visited this next I found
two Garter snakes, one of unusually layer six, basking in
the sun within less than four feet of the sitting bird, one
on each side of her.
There are two other  Song Sparrows nests at Balls' Hill, both
on the ground under withered grass & both with 5 eggs to-day.
The bird belonging to one of these nest invariably flies directly
[margin] Song Sparrows' nest[/margin]