Concord, Mass
1893
July 20
(No 2)
  At 3 P.M. I started up river in the open canoe.
There was practically no wind and I paddled as far
as Clamshell Hill where a faint breath tempted me to
hoist the sail. By degrees the breath freshened to a brisk
breeze and I sailed all the way to Fairhaven.
[margin]To Fairhaven[/margin]
  In the little meadow just above Heath's Bridge, I heard
a Short-billed Marsh Wren singing on the 14th. He was
there again to-day and as I had taken my rubber boots
I decided to look for a nest. But first I saw the canoe
into a little creek and with my head just above the
bank watched the meadow awhile. Presently [delete]the[/delete] a Wren,
[delete]took a short flight[/delete]the male, I thought, appeared flying low over the grass and hovering a moment above the
grass dropped [delete]into it[/delete] out of sight. After a moment he reappeared
& flew away to some distance when the song began [delete]singing[/delete] again.
Within five minutes he flew back to the same spot
& again disappeared in the grass for a moment, then
flew away again & I again heard the song * 50 yards or more distant.
I had marked the spot carefully and now went to
it. When I was within about 20 ft. my eye was
attracted by a tangle of grasses which had been bent down
& intertwined leaving a slight open space above. To my
delight these intertwined grass blades concealed a nest
which contained four fresh eggs. The entrance hole was
of nearly double the usual size but well concealed by
the grasses woven above & around it. From every side, the nest
presented the appearance of a green tangle of firm grass. It was about 15 inches above the ground.
The grass was of the short, wiry kind known as cut grass. (Carex monile fide. W. Deane)
During his trips to the nest the [delete]male[/delete] bird, as far as I
could see, had nothing in his bill. I left the nest
unmolested in the hope that more eggs would be laid.
(There were six on the 22nd and no more on the 23rd when I took the set)
[margin]* I was not able to trace the
flight of the bird with sufficient accuracy to make sure that it was
the same which I heard singing but I believe that such was the case.[/margin]