Cambridge, Mass
1900
May 22
  Clear and cool with strong N.W. wind.
  Left Naushon early this morning and reached
Cambridge shortly before noon.
  On entering the garden I heard two Robins calling
in shrill, anxious tones in the tall apple tree just
behind the lilacs. Suspecting that they had discovered
a cat I searched the neighboring bushes & cluster of
hemlocks but without finding anything. The Robins
continued their clamor, however, so I got the dogs
& walked them all through the garden but they
showed no signs of finding any ground scent. After
dinner it occurred to me that there might be an owl
in the apple tree so I scanned it branch by branch
with the greatest care. At length my eye was arrested
by a lump on the upper side of a stout limb &
putting the glass on it I at once saw that it
was a female Whippoorwill crouched lengthwise with the
branch and holding up her head in a rather
amused way. I exposed two plates on her with
sufficiently good results to show her attitude
& the elevation of the head just mentioned.
She remained on the branch during the afternoon
& the Robins continued to expostulate at her presence
there. No doubt, being unsophisticated city birds,
they really took her for an Owl. I doubt if
a country robin would make the same mistake.
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