1892.
March 9
Concord, Massachusetts.
[margin]Ball's Hill.[/margin]
Mass.
Concord.- Early morning cloudy and calm. Then
sun out by 11 a.m. and remainder of day clear
with moderate N. W. wind. Rather warm the
snow & ice wasting considerably.
  To Ball's Hill by boat at 10 a.m. On the
way down I saw a Shrike (just below Flints
Bridge) a Blue Jay and two Crows. As I
was rounding the turn of the "Holt" I heard
a bird in the air over the Great Meadows
uttering a cry which I did not recognise. This
sounded much like the whit of the Least
Flycatcher but was repeated at short and
perfectly regular intervals. It was evidently a
flight note but of what bird I cannot imagine.
I stopped separately to listen for Bluebirds
but heard none. Where can they be? The
time is surely ripe for them and nearly or
quite half of the open country is now bare of snow
[margin]A stranger
bird voice[/margin]
  Soon after landing, which I did just below
Benson's line, I went to my log house and
found Peter & Stone at work on the door.
Afterwards I walked around behind the hill &
had the rare good fortune to see a Shrike catch
kill and hang up a Field Mouse. This
episode I fully described in my systematic
notes so I will not repeat it here.
[margin]Shrike kills
a Field Mouse.[/margin]
  A Creeper, two Chickadees and two Blue Jays
were seen or heard on Ball's Hill. I expected
to see Musk-rats on my way up river at
sunset but none appeared.
[margin]Creeper[/margin]