1892.
July 4
(No 3)
Concord, Massachusetts.
Mass.
Concord. As I was on my way homeward later this after-
noon I heard Kingfishers rattling in several several different
places at once among the maples at Dalkin's bend. Presently
I saw one, a young bird evidently just from the nest, sitting
on a branch directly above me cocking up it[sic: should be its] little stub
tail and erecting and lowering its slight crest precisely in
the manner of the old bird. Its rattle also was [delete][?][/delete] very
nearly indistinguishable from that of an adult Kingfisher
save that it sounded a little weaker and was rather shorter.
These young Kingfishers (there were at least two or three of
them here) were raised in a nest in a small sand bank on
the N.W. slope of Dalkin's hill. As I sailed down the river this
morning I heard them rattling in the pitch pine woods about
mid way between the river and the sand bank and also saw
the old Kingfisher fly back from the river carrying a fish
in her bill and disappear among the pines whence the
rattling came. Hence I conclude that these young came to
the river for the first time this afternoon. They were very
clumsy & feeble on the wing and seemed able to fly only a
few rods at a time. They showed little fear of me and I
could only make them fly by spattering water at them
with my paddle.
[margin]Brood of young
Kingfishers[/margin]
  On my way both to and from Ball's Hill I heard in
a swamp [omitted: of] white oak by Hunt's landing several young birds
which uttered at short, regular intervals a curious sound
resembling slightly (or perhaps only suggesting) a short, harsh
sneeze. They proved to be Yellow-throated Vireos. When
the parent came to feed one of them I at once recognised
the resemblance between her scolding tchay and the
note of the young just described.
[margin]Young of
Yellow-th.[throated] Vireo[/margin]
  Grass Finches singing freely the day through.