281
Concord, Mass.
1898.
October 19
  Cloudy with strong E. wind & heavy rain beginning
just before noon and lasting into the night.
  Spent the forenoon superintending work on the
wood road behind Ball's Hill. I am carrying
it around the N. end of the little meadow &
it promises to be very pretty just there.
  In the afternoon, despite the rain, I
spent nearly two hours in the woods on
the Blakemore ridge & Holden's Hill. At times
the rain came down in perfect sheets &
the east wind roared through the tree tops
and lashed the branches about. I was curious
to see what wild creatures were out in
such a storm. First I met a party of three
Chickadees, half drenched but as cheerful and
busy as usual. Next I saw two Gray Squirrels
one of which crossed a flooded swamp by
leaping from branch to branch among some low
alders & wild rose bushes. He had evidently been
to Holden's Hill in search of chestnuts & he also
seemed cheerful enough although his tail & back
were sadly bedraggled by the wet.
  As I was standing at the west end of Holden's 
Hill an immense flock of Bronzed Grackles came
from up river & passing directly over the Rusty 
Blackbird roost at Beaver Dam Lagoon kept on
eastward. Ten minutes later I found them in the
oaks & chestnuts on the Blakemore ridge. They appeared
to be looking for acorns & chestnuts for they flew
[margin]Immense flock
of Bronzed
Grackles[/margin]