1892.
Aug. 21
(No 4)
Concord, Massachusetts.
Mass.
Concord.- Later in the afternoon I went up the Assabet
by boat with C. rowing to a little above "Birds Nest Island"
and taking our tea in the boat as we floated slowly
back with the stream.
  Birds appeared to be very scarce a Water Thrush, a Wood Pewee,
a Black-billed Cuckoo, several Robins, a Wilson's Thrush, a Cat -Bird
and three Night Hawks besides a Crow or two being all that
I saw or heard. There was literally no singing at sunset
save that once a Black-Billed Cuckoo uttered the series
of notes (cuc-cuc-cuc-cuc, coo, coo, coo) which seems to
serve it in lieu of a song and which I have not
heard before for more than two weeks. The Wilson's Thrush
was calling (pheu) nearby. The Robins, six or eight in
number came, apparently, from a distance and singly
and pitched into the birch swamp exactly at the
point where there was a well-defined but small
roost in 1886-87. There can be no doubt that those
which came this evening passed the night in these trees
for I stayed near them until it was nearly dark &
heard them flutter and settle themselves on their perches.
Surely this is the smallest Robin roost on record!
There were no Grackles with them as was the case in 86-7.
and I am beginning to wonder what has become 
of the Concord Grackles for not one have I seen this
month! Can they have left the township altogether?
[margin]Black-bill Cuckoo[/margin]
[margin]A curiously√√[tick marks]
small Robin roost[/margin]

  The Night Hawks were apparently migrating in company
for when they first appeared all three were high in and
heading S. but one turned back and lingered over the
river for many minutes, descending lower & lower until it
was below the level of the tree tops & beating up & down the stream.
[margin]Night Hawks[/margin]