1892
July 14
Concord, Massachusetts.
To Ball's Hill.
Mass
Concord.  Still another intensely hot day with now and
then a puff of refreshing N.E breeze during the forenoon.
Afternoon dead calm, the sky filled with great
cumulus clouds and the sunset the first we have
had this year. The muttering of distant thunder was
frequent during the entire day but no rain came until
9 p.m. when there was a light shower.
  To Ball's Hill at 11 a.m. Now and then I sailed
for a few hundred yards but the paddle accomplished
most of the distance. Robins, Red-eyed Vireos and Song
Sparrows were singing finely and I heard a Field Sparrow
on Dakin's Hill and a Cat Bird at Benson's landing.
  Bobolinks have apparently relapsed into utter silence save 
for the autumn call-note which is now constantly heard
in the air overhead and which to my ear  is distinctly
pink, not chink as usually rendered. I saw one flock
of seven of these birds, this morning, circling over a field
of oats and early in the afternoon upwards of forty
feeding on the seeds of wild grasses in Holden's meadow.
There were several old males (apparently in unchanged
breeding dress) among them but the majority appeared
to be female and young. They must have been
unusually successful in rearing their broods this year
for continuous bad weather late in June prevented
the farmers from cutting any grass to speak of until
after July 4th.
[margin]Bobolinks flocking[/margin].
  Song Sparrows are singing still at all hours of the 
day and as finely and vigorously as at anytime
earlier in the season.
[margin]Song Sparrows[/margin]