1892
March 15
Concord, Massachusetts.
Mass.
Concord. - Clear & cold with N. W. wind less strong
than that of yesterday but still blowing half a gale
at times. Ther. 9[degrees] at sunrise.
  The strong winds of the past four days have
kept the channel of the river open despite the cold.
Accordingly I made an attempt to get to Ball's
Hill by boat to-day starting at about 9.30.
Just below the bathing place I saw a fine adult
[male] Gooseander. It probably rose a few hundred yards
ahead of me (I was rowing at the time & never
was facing up stream) and as it passed me
sheared off over the frozen meadows & then rising
high above the trees kept on up river passing directly
over the Simmons place.
[margin]Gooseander[/margin]
  On reaching "Hunt's Pond" I found the river below
choked with drift ice more or less frozen together.
The current was running very strong & I did not
dare try to break my way through so turned back
& with much difficulty made a landing on Mr. Hunts
farm. Leaving the boat here I walked down to
Ball's Hill seeing two Song Sparrows and as many
Bluebirds on the way.
[margin]Song Sparrows[/margin]
  Later in the afternoon as I was on my way
back to the boat & passing through Holden's woods
I found, at the entrance to a large burrow which
looked like that of a Fox, a dead Skunk. It
showed no marks of trap or gun wounds but the
fur was wet & draggled in places as if some animal
had mouthed it. It lay on its side within six feet
of the hole. I could detect only a slight trace of
the usual smell. Saw a Shrike [?] "the [?]".
[margin]Dead Skunk
at Fox's
hole.[/margin]