158
Peterborough, New Hampshire
1898.
July 5 to
Aug. 15
(No. 6) 
  But at the head or eastern end of the pond,
in a grove of hemlocks and spruces, quite open or free
from undergrowth beneath, as well as in a brush-grown
pasture that borders a pretty little cove where the arrow-
shapes leaves and blue flower spikes of the pickerel weed
rise thickly from the shallow water, the bird life was
almost as abundant and varied as about the bog on
Ben Mere farm and at evening, when the conditions were
favorable, the air fairly rang with the songs of Hermit
Thrushes, Peabody Birds, Towhees, Field Sparrows, Song Sparrows
etc. Evidently spruce woods and old pastures growing up
to pines and spruces form the favorite haunts for
most of the smaller birds of this region. The mixed
woods of old growth are everywhere nearly barren of
bird life.
[margin]Cunningham
Pond[/margin]
  Early in July I heard two Green Herons calling in some
maples on the shores of the pond and on August 2nd
Purdie and I found a Great Blue Heron at the head
of the little cove, standing in the water among the 
pickerel weed, apparently for fish as his attention
was so concentrated on the bottom that he did not
notice us until we paddled nearly within gun shot.
Ducks are said to alight in this pond in spring &
autumn. I have no doubt that a Kingfisher, which
flew past our house one day, was on his way there.
Muskrats are numerous and I have seen a few Painted
Tortoises on floating logs. Bull Frogs & Green Frogs make
the shores echoe [sic] with their tromping and tunging.
  Of aquatic plants the pond contains, besides the pickerel
weed, the floating heart, the cow lily & the dwarf white pond
lily (var minor). Perch, pickerel, sun fish & horn[ed] pouts are caught
[delete]there but the pickerel, strange to say, are here caught only in winter.[/delete]