Concord, Mass.
1896
October 24
(No 3)
all its twists & turns closely. I was beginning to
wonder what it all meant when the two
plunged into some dense foliage and the next
instant came to the ground together the Warbler
chirping in sharp, agonised tones. I hurried to the
spot and found that my supposed Jay was
a Northern Shrike, a brown young bird. He was
standing on the ground under the trees shaking
the poor, fluttering Warbler as a terrier shakes
a rat. I had a loaded gun in my hands and
was sorely tempted to use it but refrained.
The next instant the Shrike flew off over the
meadows carrying his prey in his bill. I think
the Warbler was a Black-poll. At least its
chirp sounded like that of that species.
  Two fine Red-tailed Hawks were sitting in
the tops of some maples on the meadow opposite
Davis's Hill. As I approached one of them
flew & alighted on the same tree with the
other & within a yard of him. One was
adult, the other had a brown tail.
  I saw a Phoebe on the river banks near
Ball's Hill this morning and two Carolina Grebes
swimming together in the broad reach opposite Birch
Island.
  Nothing of interest seen on the way up river this
evening.