Cambridge, Mass.
1899. 
July & Aug.
Aug 10
(No. 2)
all over the trees and walk out on the branches to their very
tips.
  The garden is swarming with rats and mice which cross the paths
and are seen rambling about among the flowers at all hours
of the day. Their numbers and boldness are due, no doubt, 
to the complete success of my cat-proof fence. Only one cat
has been detected in the garden this season and she came
in through an open gate.
" [August] 15   
  A Water Thrush, one or two Robins & Orioles and a Yellow Warbler
were seen in the garden to-day. A Wood Pewee was
singing in the old lindens.
  The only hummingbird I saw in the garden this
summer was the bird noted July 10th. I believe that
a few others were seen during my absence by Gilbert
or Karl (the gardener) but they were certainly
exceptionally scarce this year although we had as 
many flowers of the kinds that attract them as we
have ever had.
[margin]Scarcity of
Hummingbirds[/margin]
  Robins were somewhat less numerous than usual; Redstarts,
Yellow Warblers; Warbling Vireos, Yellow-throated Vireos and Rose-breasted
Grosbeaks nested not far off; we had Yellow-billed Cuckoos
but no [delete]pair of[/delete] Chipping Sparrows settled either on the
place or very near it. Purple Finches have not visited
for several years and Least Flycatchers not since
1897. Chimney Swifts still nest somewhere in the
neighborhood to judge from their frequent visits.
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