136
Concord, Mass.
1898
June 21
  Heavy rain last night and cloudy up to nine o'clock
when the sun came out, the remainder of the day being
clear and very cool with light W. wind.
  Returned to Concord by the 8.30 A.M. train.
Found the country about Ball's Hill unusually fresh
and green owing to the abundant rains of the past 
month. The river continues high and we embarked at
the end of the ditch on the Bedford shore without
difficulty.
  I spent the afternoon with Pat opening a path
between the ditch landing and Parkers landing. This
will shorten the distance from the ditch to the
railroad station nearly one-half besides giving us
an exceptionally beautiful path with some of the
prettiest views over the meadows that I have yet discovered.
  While thus engaged I discovered a Bittern standing
erect and still in the open meadow about fifty yards
off. It had probably heard but evidently did not see
me. Bill, neck and body rising among the grass in
a perfectly straight line and at an inclination of about
45[degrees] [illus] formed a curiously close imitation of a weather-
beaten and leaning stake. The feathers of the body were
evidently compressed so that this part did not appear
much thicker than the neck. The black stripes on the
neck helped to make the bird inconspicuous by distracting
the eye from the outlines of the neck and body.
  After standing thus perfectly motionless for several minutes
the bird would slowly draw down its neck and