1892
July 9
Concord, Massachusetts.
Ball's Hill.
Mass.
Concord . Forenoon clear with light S.W. wind. Afternoon cloudy
with a few dashes of rain. Cool but damp.
  To Ball's Hill at 10 a.m. sailing down in my canoe.
Red-wings, Song Sparrows and Yellow Warblers were singing
freely and I heard one Bobolink in full song, one Field
Sparrow, then Yellow-billed Cuckoos, a Cat-bird and a Veery.
A Long-billed  Marsh Wren was singing near the Holt and
two Short-bills in the tall canary grass on the south
side of the Beaver-dam rapid. Three Short-bills are
new comers to the meadow. I stopped to listen to
them (on my return) and noted their songs on the spot
as follows: Chŭp, chŭp, er-chŭp, chee-chee-chee-chee
or chŭp, chŭp, er-chee-chee-chee-chee-chee or
chŭp,chŭp, chir-r-r-r-r-r (the termination a
trill much like the Swamp Sparrows but less musical.
Both birds gave all these variations.
[margin] Song of the
Short-billed
Marsh Wren [/margin]
  There were no Grackles along the river today and I have
seen none there for nearly two weeks. Probably they left
when the supply of birds eggs gave out.
[margin] Grackles leave
river[/margin]
  Wild roses and alder bloom still line the banks in
places. The rose mallow plants are now conspicuous but
not of course in bloom as yet.
  At Ball's Hill I examined the Robin's nest by my
cabin door and found that it held young about half
grown but without feathers
[margin] Robin's nest [/margin]
  In the swamp behind the hill a Thrasher, Towhee
and Grosbeak were singing vigorously and steadily.
This is the only Thrasher that I have heard in full
song for several days. Can it have been a second nest?
Probably the cool, cloudy weather tempted it to raise
up its voice again. The Grosbeak certainly does not breed twice.
[margin] Thrasher in
full song [/margin]