74
Concord, Mass.
1898.
May 3
  Cloudy with strong E. wind and showers of
fine, mist-like rain at frequent intervals.
  A Thrasher was in full song at day break on 
the Bedford side of the river opposite the cabin.
An hour or two later we heard Eave and Bank Swallows
skimming low on the river. Chimney Swifts were
flying around the crest of Ball's Hill all day. We
saw five together at one time. There were a few
Martins also. The Eave and Bank Swallows were the only arrivals.
  Starting at about 9 A.M. we walked through
the dripping, mist-enshrouded woods to Lawrence's pines.
where we found the young Bubos squatting side by
side in the same place where I left them yesterday.
The rabbit skin had virtually disappeared. One of
the old birds, the [female] I think began hooting almost as
soon as we entered the woods & when we approached
the young she came circling around us taking short
flights & behaving in much the same manner as yesterday.
Sometimes instead of walking out on a branch she
would crash noisily into the midst of a cluster of
dead twigs and either stand there or fall through
the twigs beating her wings feebly. Faxon agreed with
me that this was a ruse to draw us away from the
young and that it was essentially the same trick that
so many of the ground birds practise. This Owl
hooted incessantly to-day & also made several other
sounds which I shall describe later when I have had
an opportunity to study them more carefully.