Lake Umbagog
Cambridge River Marshes
1896
Aug. 13
(No 2)
  About the Lake House this afternoon I saw the same flock
of Martins (seven in number) which I observed there yesterday.
There was at least one old male among them.
  I started back about an hour before sunset this evening &
getting a bottle-full of water at Peaslee's Spring paddled down
to the river's mouth and ate my supper as the canoe under
sail was slowly wafted the remainder of the distance to the
Lakeside landing which I reached about dark. As I was
thus drifting & eating the night closed in without offering
much of interest in the way of either sights or sounds. It
was a dull, lifeless evening with a curtain of lead-colored
clouds hanging over the western sky & but little bird life
moving. As I came down the river, however, I had a
chance to watch and admire four Great Blue Herons which
were ranged along the banks near the outlet of the upper pond
standing leg deep in the water watching for fish. They
reminded me forcibly of human anglers as with necks stretched
out and bills pointing downward they waited patiently for
their prey. No one of them got a chance to strike, however,
during the fifteen minutes or more that I had them 
under my glass. I was struck by their superlatively graceful
attitudes and by the slenderness of their necks which looked
scarce larger around then those of Grebes. All four flew when
I got within 100 yards. One was an old bird, the other
three were young.
[margin]The marshes
at evening[/margin]
[margin]Gr. Bl. Herons
fishing[/margin]
  Kingfishers are deplorably scarce: I have yet to see
my first but Jim saw one near the Mill on the 9th
& Will Sargeant says they were numerous there a week
ago. He thinks the shallow water up the Cambridge has
drawn them away from the Lake.
[margin]Scarcity of
Kingfishers[/margin]