Lake Umbagog.
Lakeside.
1896 
Aug. 15  
Clear, dead calm most of the morning; 
light S. to E. winds 
in P.M. Very warm through the middle of the day.
  When I started for a walk along the road towards Upton 
at 7 a.m. the fog was only just beginning to rise and 
break and the sun was still veiled. The roadside thickets 
were alive with Song Sparrows, mostly young birds some of 
which were warbling low, confused strains but none of the old 
Song Sparrows were singing today.  In the woods just east 
of the hotel I heard a Redstart sing over but the only 
birds of any kind which sang really steadily were Goldfinches 
and Red-eyed Vireos.
[margin]Roadside
Birds & Flowers[/margin]
  Where the road passes through the woods just mentioned 
the roadworkers last May cut away the mountain maples, cornels
and other shrubs and low trees that made such a beautiful 
border to the forest clearing in their places a broad belt of 
bare rocks half covered with the fallen brush wood. This 
deed of vandalism was performed while I was here and at 
the time I feared that years must elapse before Nature, 
with all her diligence, could repair the injury.  I underrated 
her powers for already this thicket of road is, if anything, 
more beautiful than ever. Fire weed, Eupatorium, Impatiens, Asters, 
Golden red and several other tall and rank flowering plants 
have shot up through and almost perfectly concealed the unsightly 
brush and stone heaps and I have rarely seen a more 
brilliant or attractive display of wild flowers. The fire weed 
is especially tall and fine and the jewel weed grows in 
solid beds yard in extent. Of course the Humming birds 
had not overlooked such a feeding ground.  There were at 
least three of them there at once including an adult male
with blazing ruby throat at which I fired an ineffectual shot.