Concord, Mass.
1895
Oct. 15
  Cloudy, calm, warm. Light rain in P.M.
  A severe cold confined me to the house on the 11th, 12th & 13th.
Yesterday was spent in Cambridge & Boston. To-day I went to
Ball's Hill.
[margin]To Ball's Hill[/margin]
  Between 3 P.M. on the 12th & 8 P.M. on the 13th over five inches of
rain fell and the river rose more than three feet flooding
the meadows. The current was very strong this morning and I
had a swift passage using the paddle but lightly.
  At the Holt I saw a flock of about 30 Titlarks alight in the
upper branches of a large, leafless ash where they sat for several
minutes preening their feathers. If I remember rightly it is
unusual for them to [delete]ali[/delete] perch in trees.
[margin]Titlarks alight
in tree.[/margin]
  On reaching Holden's Hill I paddled across the meadow and
was on the point of landing when four Wood Ducks rose from
the water at the edge of the bushes and flew down river towards
Ball's Hill where I afterwards started them a second time
nearly in front of the cabin. The flock consisted of one female,
one drake in apparently full plumage and two young ducks
which had about half completed the change from young to
mature plumage.
[margin]Wood Ducks[/margin]
  While walking about over Holden's Hill I started a
Partridge and heard two Gray Squirrels barking. [delete]The[/delete] A Partridge
on rising uttered a low, rattling, murmuring, whistling sound
evidently vocal. This note, which I have heard countless times
before but never considered carefully until now, is perfectly
distinct from the hurried, metallic quet-quet-quet which is
also a common flight note. The former cry is, I think, usually
given when the bird is not much alarmed and when it about
to take only a short flight. The quet is oftenest uttered just
before the bird takes wing but is frequently continued during
[margin]Flight notes
of the Partridge[/margin]