1893
June 18
Saybrook Ferry, Conn. 
  Cloudless with strong N. wind; a fine day cool in the breeze
but with a hot sun.

  On the 10th Faxon started a bird which looked like a
Least Bittern near the Saybrook end of the big marsh.
The next day I found in the same belt of flags a curious
structure, evidently the work of some bird or mammal but
unlike anything that either of us had ever seen before. Near
the middle of a dense cluster of tall cat-tails the tops 
of the living flags had been bent or doubled outward &[and] down and
their tips carried inward from every side had been loosely
interwoven forming a platform of basketwork above which
such of the flags as had not been used in its construction
were also doubled like the rest so as to form a
canopy or bower, the roof of which was a foot or more
above the platform. At this date there was no sign of
anything like a nest &[and] on the next day (June 12) Faxon,
who looked at the curious structure, did not discover
any additions. But this morning when he visited it
for the third time he found that it had developed into
a Least Bittern's nest containing five fresh eggs. He left
it untouched &[and] came back for me where we went to
the place together approaching very cautiously but failing to
catch a sight at the bird although a change in the
arrangement of the eggs showed that she had visited the
nest in the interim between F's trips. The eggs could be seen
through the roof of the canopy as well as from every side.
They looked almost pure white in the strong sunlight.
The nest was 33 inches above the ground &[and] about the same
distance below the tops of the surrounding flags. It measured 6
inches across &[and] was hollowed to the depth of an inch. I took
both nest &[and] eggs.
[margin]Nest of 
Least Bittern[/margin]