317
Concord, Mass.
1897.
Nov. 4      
  An exceptionally beautiful day for even this warm
autumn almost too warm for comfort with light S. wind
& long intervals of nearly dead calm. The Balloon Spiders
were out, of course, in great numbers.
  Walter Dean came up from Cambridge this
morning and spent the day with me. We were
out the entire forenoon taking the trip northward
to the Mason woods. Saw a number of common birds.
Tree Sparrows were numerous for the first time this 
autumn. We came upon one flock of a dozen or
more with two Juncos and a Yellow-rump attached.
The Sparrows were feeding in the tops of grey birches I 
think on larvae of some kind but possibly on seeds
which are numerous enough this year. The Tree Sparrows
on the whole is aptly named for it is certainly
to be seen often in the tops of trees than is any
other of our true Sparrows.
  Dean was anxious to see a Dab-chick. We found
one at Birch Island, floating closer in shore among
some frost-blackened pickerel weed, pressing its feathers
& basking in the sun, remaining in the same spot
for fully ten minutes. We were within less than forty
yards & had an excellent view of it through our 
glasses. Finally I showed myself and it at once dove
further down five birds which I took to be also Grebes
were swimming near the middle of the river, then in
one place, two in another not far off. At length
the two groups swam together.