266
Concord Mass.
1898.
October 6
(No 2)
  As I was passing the Blackbird roost at 4:20 P.M.
on my way up river a flock of Rusties came
in. I think they were the first to arrive for
I neither saw nor heard any others near the
place. Above I saw a number of flocks coming
from the direction of Concord. Most of them
passed [delete]on[/delete] towards the roost but one flock
containing fully 200 birds alighted in a maple
on the river bank. I paddled under them
and looked them over carefully with my
glass. As far as I could make out they
were all Cowbirds & I now believe that a
considerable proportion of the birds which
resort nightly to the roost belong to this
species.
[margin]Blackbird 
roost[/margin]
  Last autumn at about this time a Carolina Rail
spent two days in the narrow fringe of bushes
on the river bank nearly in front of the
cabin. Gilbert saw one there yesterday & he &
I saw what was doubtless the same bird
this afternoon. We drove it into the end of
the thicket which we trampled over for several
minutes without flushing it. Finally we
saw it swimming out into the river through
the pickerel weeds. After swimming several rods
over deep water it rose & flew to the
shore near the upper Cambridge. I have an idea
that it was the same bird that we have
last year.
[margin]Carolina 
Rail near
the cabin[/margin]