75
Concord, Mass.
1898.
May 4
  Weather much like that of yesterday but with
much less wind, scarcely any rain, and glympses [sic] of
blue skies and a gleam or two or sunshine in
the afternoon.
  Spent the forenoon at or near the cabin. Heard the
Thrasher singing in the early morning and saw two
White-throated Sparrows. No arrivals to-day. 
  In the afternoon sailed down stream to Lawrence's woods
taking my 5 x 7 camera and exposing a dozen plates
on the young Great Horned Owls. When I first came
in sight of them they were standing up a yard or 
more apart and a little distance from the tree. One
of them repeatedly opened & stretched its wings but
the next moment they discovered me when they at
once toddled to the pine and crouched close against
its trunk, touching one another. As I advanced the
camera to within about two yards of them they shrank
back still close to the tree & began snapping their
bills but while I was taking photographs they lay
perfectly motionless. I  saw no food & no pellets near them
but the surface of the ground around the pine was
white with their chalky excrement.
  Before I got near the young the old birds began 
hooting and the male presently started off taking
the same course as on May 2nd and again attracting
a mob of Crows the moment he left the shelter of
the woods. The female came about me in a half
circle as usual but for the first time she neglected
the tactics which she has hitherto adopted and