[Concord, Mass.]
1899.                                                                       
May
(b)                 
From five of these birds I learned practically nothing that
was new to my experience but the sixth gave me some                    
rare opportunities for studying its interesting notes and habits.
[margin]Notes on
Linconl's Finch.[/margin]
  It appeared, as I have already said, on the15th and 
remained until the forenoon of the 22nd spending its whole
time within or on the outskirts of the thickest of bushes between
the smaller cabin and the canoe landing. In a bed of ferns
on the edge of this thicket, directly in front of the small
cabin and some fifteen feet from the door, we kept a 
quantity of millet seed scattered about over the ground.
This was visited by the Finch at frequent intervals and, no
doubt, contributed his chief food supply during his stay. It may
have had something to do with the length of his stay, also,
but the weather was very cool during this period & a number
of other birds stayed in the same thicket for nearly the 
same length of time.
  The Lincoln's Finch was very shy at first and at all l times
exceedingly alert and supsicous but he showed a nice and, on the
whole, wise discrimination in his judgement of different sights
and sounds. A keen, intellligent little traveller, evidently, quite
alive to the fact that dangers threatened at all times but
too cool-headed and experienced to be subject to the needless
& foolish panic which seize upon so many of the smaller
birds. He soon learned to disregard the movements and noises
which we made within the cabin and the trains thundering
by on the other side of the river did not disturb him
in the least but if our door was suddenly thrown open or 
if a footstep was heard approaching along the river path
he at once retreated into the thicket behind the ferns dodging
from bush to bush & keeping behind anything that would
serve as a screen until all was quiet again when he