1892
June 15
(No 2)
Concord, Massachusetts.
Mass.
Concord.- eggs & young doubtless form one of the chief
attractions to the Grackles.
  During the entire spring [delete][?][/delete] & summer thus far
I have seen in all not more than five or six of
the small, mossy-backed Snapping Turtles in the
river and but one of these actually out of water
(in April I think it was). The Painted Tortoise, since
its first appearance, has been very numerous and
on every sunny morning more or less of the latter
could be seen on floating boards or the low branches
of trees or bushes which overhang the water. The
number of individuals who have thus exposed them-
selves for the sake of a sun bath has diminished
steadily, however, since the hot summer weather
began. This morning I saw not a single Painted
Tortoise out of water but every suitable floating
log or overhanging branch bore from one to half
a dozen of the mossy-backed Snappers and 200
would be a low estimate of the total number
that I passed on my way to Ball's Hill. When
I returned late in the afternoon every one had
disappeared but there were, as usual, a few
Painted Tortoises in these places which the
Snappers had occupied in the morning.
[margin]Turtles[/margin]

  I visited the Brown Thrashers' nest at 3 P.M.
and found the female sitting or rather standing
over the young her feet spread wide apart
clutching opposite sides of the nest. She seemed
to be [?][?][?][?]ly shielding the young from the sun.
The young have increased in size markedly since
my last visit and are now feathered over their
[margin]Nest of the
Brown Thrasher[/margin]