1892
July 6
Concord, Massachusetts.
Mass.
Concord. A fine day, clear, warm in the sun, cool in
the shade, wind light from E. to S.W.
  Spent most of the day at my boat-house making
some changes in the fitting of a canoe and, during
the latter part of the afternoon, watching the Flicker's
nest. The bird was shy and suspicious at first but
soon became sufficiently accustomed to my presence
to feed her young in the stump while I was sitting
in my canoe within ten feet of the base of the tree
and not over fifteen feet from the nest. I should
add, however, that I was partially sheltered by my
canoe tent under which I sat raising one side just
enough to peep out. When I took down the tent
and sat wholly exposed to the bird's view she would
not feed her young although she several times worked
her way timidly to the stump & then fled in a panic.
I shall reserve my notes on the feeding of the young
until I see it again to-morrow for there are one or
two points about which I am not yet quite clear.
[margin]Flicker's nest[/margin]
  There were four half-grown Must-rats in my
boat house to-day & On crawling into the back part
I distinctly saw the old female "sitting" on her new
nest where I left her undisturbed. An hour or
two later I heard one of her young calling feebly
and incessantly as if hungry.
[margin]Musk rats in
my boat house[/margin]
  Birds have sung freely about our house and at
the river all day. I have heard all the common
species which haunt the neighborhood except the
Bobolink which seems to have stopped singing within
a day or two. Hay cutting has only just begun owing to
protracted foul weather. I think the young Bobolinks have escaped.
[margin]Hay cutting
late. Young
Bobolinks
probably safe[/margin]