1892
July 16
(No 3)
Concord, Massachusetts.
[margin]Dove's nests√√[tick marks][/margin]
Mass.
Concord. At 3 P.M. I visited the Dove's nest again. The
female was on, facing N., her head raised decidedly above
the line of the back but not so high as on the 9th. I stood
nearly under the nest for three minutes (by my watch). During
this time the Dove did not wink once while I was
forced to close and open my eyes just thirty-six times!
At length I stretched my hand slowly up towards the nest
and the bird started off. She [delete]descended[/delete] flew in her usual
manner fluttering noisily through the foliage and descending
in a half circle but when [delete]a fe[/delete] within about four feet of
the ground she alighted abruptly on the branch of an
oak where she sat looking at me quietly for a moment
and then, taking wing again, disappeared among the trees.
My theory that, having tried the wounded bird performance
and found it futile or unnecessary, she has [delete]aba[/delete] now
abandoned it gathers [delete]increased[/delete] probability.
  I was mistaken in supposing the runt egg to be infertile
for it has hatched. The young bird is at least a
third smaller than the one which hatched first. I was
also mistaken in regard to the color of the skin of the
young. The light was good to-day and having my glass
with me (I cannot get nearer than within 15 ft. of the nest)
I saw distinctly that in both young the skin of the
entire body and head is of a dark purplish brown. This
[delete]head being nearly naked[/delete] [delete]this[/delete] shows conspicuously on the
the[sic] head which is nearly or quite naked but [delete]the body is[/delete]
[delete]covered[/delete] elsewhere is [delete]nearly[/delete] partially concealed by a rather
dense coat of hair like down of a pale straw color.
The younger bird had the down still wet and plastered
to the skin in places. The egg shells have been removed
from the nest and I could not find them under its