37
Concord, Mass.
1898
March 31
(No. 2)   
  The snow ceased falling about 1 P.M. and by 4 P.M.
the sky was clear and the north wind had strengthened
and become colder. Yet almost with the first gleams 
of sunshine the snow disappeared like magic and
by sunset there was scarce a touch of it left.
  Spent the afternoon digging some young trees
and shrubs to take to Cambridge. Saw few birds 
excepting closer about the cabin when the Juncos,
nine in number at dinner time, had increased to 
fifteen or twenty. The Fox and Tree Sparrows sang
superbly at times, their wild, clear notes inter-
mingling with each other and with the simpler
trills of the Juncos. I have noticed before this
that all these species sing better and very much
more freely during or just after a snow storm
than in any other kind of weather. The Fox
Sparrows sang almost incessantly during the 
hardest part of the storm today. The Robins,
on the other hand, were absolutely silenced
by it and I did not hear one this evening
after the sky had cleared. The Song sparrows
sang a very little throughout the storm.
  The Rough-legged Hawk mentioned above was
perched in the large red oak at the east end 
of Ball's Hill. Three or four Crows were clustered
about him cawing excitedly. The Crows flew 
before I got near the tree but the Hawk
remained until I was within thirty yards of him.
He was a large bird very dark but not black.