1892
March 23
Concord, Massachusetts.
Ball's Hill
Mass.
Concord. - A gentle rain ceasing at about 3 P.M. and
succeeded by a dense fog. No wind. Ther. rose to 38[degrees].
  To Ball's Hill by boat at 9.30 spending most of
the day in my house and returning at the usual
time (I regularly leave the hill now at 5 P.M and
reach the Buttrick's at about 6 P.M.). On my 
way down river I saw nothing of much interest
except two Black Ducks, evidently a pair, which
started from the brush on the south bank a little
below Hunt's pond nearly within gun shot, and 
a flock of thirty or forty Robins which were 
scattered about on the south slope of Dakin's hill
running about on the bare ground or feeding
on barberry bushes. One of them sang for a few
seconds in feeble, warbling tones like a young bird
in autumn.
[margin]Black Ducks[/margin]
[margin]Robins[/margin]
  During the forenoon I walked around to
the back side of Ball's Hill to cut a birch and
came suddenly upon a pair of Ruffed Grouse. The
male started from under a young bushy pine and
ran across a space of open snow finally stopping
in a thicket of birches and standing erect shaking
his ruffs and making the red-squirrel chicken.
He stood there for nearly a minute within 20 yds
of me in plain sight. The female then flew from the 
branches of the pine under which her mate was
first sitting & he now followed her. They have roosted
every night for several weeks in a small, bushy
pine near this spot as is shown by the fresh
droppings which I find beneath this tree every 
morning.
[margin]Ruffed Grouse[/margin]