Concord, Mass.
1896
April 23
(no 2)
[April 23, 1896]

stepping to the door I was amazed to hear a Snipe
drumming in the distance over Great Meadow. I should as
soon have expected to hear a Whippoorwill for the sun
was still half-an-hour high (it was exactly 6.08 P.M.) and
the sky was practically cloudless. Hurrying to the canoe I
paddled hastily up river to the Beaver Dam Rapid and
then turning to the left pushed out over the flooded
meadow. During the time thus occupied the drumming came
to my ears at short, regular intervals but there were so
many Swallows flying over the meadow that I had reached
its centre (about opposite the Holt) before I caught sight
of the Snipe - two birds flying about together in the
full light of the sun drumming every eight or ten seconds.
I had a splendid chance to watch this performance which
I shall describe exhaustively on another sheet. They
kept it up until sunset when they dropped into the
meadow & remained silent until it was nearly dark. After
this they drummed incessantly until I left them. I walked
out nearly to the middle of the meadow & stood there
for more than an hour listening to their weird music.
I think there were three birds drumming at once but I
could see nothing of any of them. Besides the drumming
I heard Snipe scaipe a great many times. I also heard
another sound which I attributed to them but which was
wholly new to me. It was very like their kuc-kuc-kuc
cry but was repeated much more rapidly (at least four &
I think five kucs per second) and was kept up without
the slightest cessation for from four to ten minutes. On
two occasions the bird was apparently on the ground. On
the third occasion it seemed to move from place to place.
The Bittern pumped very late - until it was quite dark. There
was a deafening chorus of Leopard Frogs & Hylas.