1892
Sept. 9
Concord, Massachusetts.
Mass.
Concord.- A brilliantly clear day with light easterly winds,
Ther. 40° at sunrise, the middle of day warm.
  In the early morning I heard a Warbling and a
Yellow-throated Vireo singing in the elms in front of the
house and on going out after breakfast found them
still there and with them a Nuthatch and a
number of Blue birds and Chipping Sparrows. This
flock visits these elms nearly every morning. Its make
up varies somewhat from day to day but there are
always the Bluebirds, Sparrows & Nuthatches and the
two species of Vireo. These form the nucleus of the
flock to which are attracted whatever migrants chance
to be tarrying in the vicinity.
[margin]Mixed flock
in elms.[/margin]
  At 9 A.M. I started for Ball's Hill in
my small, open canoe paddling slowly and stopping a
good many times to watch or listen for birds.
  For the past week I have noticed English Sparrows
in considerable numbers flying to and from a field
of Indian corn on the river bank just below Flint's bridge
and [delete]th[/delete] seeing them this morning I ran the
canoe ashore and watched them with my glasses.
Each bird, as I soon discovered, had selected an ear
and perching on its upright top was hard at work
tearing off the husk or eating the grain. The former
operation was evidently [delete]&[/delete] slow & difficult. The stout
little bird would seize the husk in its bill and
tug & twitch with all his might bending forward &
down the while and often pausing to rest. In no
[margin]House Sparrows
raiding Indian
corn field[/margin]