1892
March 17
(No 3)
Concord, Massachusetts.
[margin]Gooseanders[/margin]
Mass.
Concord.- mouths of the rivers? These birds certainly
had every appearance of being actually migrating at
the time that I saw them but  their course was
about south-west! Probably they were bound for the
great Sudbury Meadows and will spend several
weeks there before pushing further north. I saw 
one flock at about 3 P.M., the other perhaps an
hour later. The river was open from bank to bank
a little above Ball's Hill but they did not even
circle over it. Indeed their flight was so decided
and direct as to leave little doubt in my mind
that they are making their way over a familiar
and long-established route to the destination
just mentioned. Had they merely come up from
the Merrimac for a day's fishing intending to
return at night they surely would not have
appeared at so late an hour.
 At about 4 P.M. one of my men called me to see
a big bird which, he said, had just flown close
over his head. I seized my gun & followed him
along the river path a little way when a broad-
winged bird started about 60 yds. ahead and flew
out of sight around a turn. I hurried after it and
soon saw it again, four or five times in succession.
It seemed to be exceedingly restless or nervous, taking
short flights and never remaining perched for more
than a minute at a time. As nearly as I 
could make out it it was not frightened by
me but merely kept on the move. I followed
it as far as Holden's woods but did not
once get a good sight at it. It looked
[margin]A strange Owl[/margin]