108
Concord, Mass.
1898.
May 22 
  Clear and warm with moderate S.W. wind; the evening cool
and invigorating.
  Spent the whole forenoon in the woods with Faxon (C.E.)
and Watson. We first encircled and ascended Ball's Hill and
then went to Lawrence's woods by the river paths retracing
our way to the Mason field and finishing with Mrs Barrett's
woods. At the Barrett spring Herbert Holden joined us.
The weather was simply perfect and as Faxon remarked
the day appeared to mark the culmination or high-tide
mark of May with the apple orchards still in full
bloom, the oaks pink, salmon, orange and ash-gray
with unfolding leaves, and the Ladies' Slippers coming
into full bloom in the humid places where they grow.
Birds were abundant everywhere but the end of their
migration appeared to be nearly reached for the only
unmistakable northern-breeding species met with during
the forenoon were the Northern Water Thrush and Swainson's Thrush.
Of the former we saw two, of the latter two were heard
singing rather freely (not quite in full voice) in Prescott's pines. 
In Lawrence's woods we heard a Blackburnian Warbler (which
I think will probably breed there) and saw once more
the two young Great Horned Owls one in the same pine
(but not on the same branch) as on the 18th, the other
rather low down in the next tree. They still looked quite
drowsy. The head and a strip of skin from the back, of
a Skunk hung from a twig near by (a few feet only above
the ground) & the whole neighborhood smelt skunky.
The Partridge was still sitting on her 13 eggs in the
Barrett woods. and the Field Sparrow on 3 eggs in the 
neighboring pasture. The Cooper's Hawk started from the nest in 
the Glacial Hollow as Holden was passing beneath it.