Lake Umbagog, Maine.
Boston to Bethel.
1895
Aug.28
Clear and warm.
  I left Boston this morning on my annual trip to
Lake Umbagog, traveling by way of the Eastern R.R. and
Grand Trunk as usual.
  The country is unusually green and fresh looking for the
season as there have been frequent heavy rains this
month. An occasional[delete]ly[/delete] maple standing on wet ground had
already begun to turn but for the greater part of the
way one looked in vain for any signs of autumn coloring.
[margin]Condition of
vegetation[/margin]
  Birds appeared to be very scarce. At least I saw almost
none from the car windows, three Kingbirds at South Paris,
and a dozen Nighthawks near Bryant's Pond being all that
I remember. The Nighthawks were flying high in a compact
flock and were doubtless migrating although they were moving
towards the E. It was a little after 4 P.M. and the sun
was shining bright & warm. At sunset I saw five more
Nighthawks flying south over Bethel Hill.
[margin]Scarcity of
small birds[/margin]
  There were but few people at the Bethel House but
among them I was glad to find my old friend
Walter Brackett just back from his salmon fishing on
the Marguerite River. He tells me that Willow Ptarmigan
occur there irregularly in winter often in very large
numbers. His guides saw the wings of some of those
that they kill and use them for brushes etc. at
his camp. Robins occasionally winter there in large
flocks.
[margin]Lagopus albus[/margin]
[margin]Merula
migratoria[/margin]