Concord, Mass.
1902.
Nov. 8
  Forenoon sunny but somewhat cloudy or at least hazy. Afternoon
brilliantly clear with chill E. wind. A wonderful rosy after glow
last evening & this.
  The first Shrike appeared this morning - in one of the
elms behind the barn. He will find it hard to get a
living here for I never knew small birds scarcer at this
season. The autumnal migration is practically ended and
it seems to have drained the country of about everything
excepting Crows and Jays. I cannot understand what has 
become of the Tree sparrows. Thus far I have seen only three
or four and never more than one in any one day.
  I was surprised this afternoon to find a Ruby-crowned
Kinglet in company with the Chickadees among some dense 
young pines in the Prescott woods. It was a female and the
only bird of the species that I have noted this year.
  About eight o'clock this morning I heard a deafening
clamor of Crow voices below the barn and on going past
it a little way discovered a flock containing over fifty
birds (I counted sixty) walking about on the ground in
the cow pasture which they fairly blackened in places.
They did not seem to be feeding but were apparently holding
a caucus of the most noisy character.
  Partridges have been scarce of late in the woods on
the farm but I started five near Ball's Hill this afternoon.
One of them rose from a thicket close to the cabin. The
other four were among the dense young pines just behind
the Hill where they were evidently preparing to go to roost.
One bird, indeed, had already taken to the trees. I happened
to see her sitting bolt upright on a pine branch about 25 feet
above the ground. She allowed me to pass directly under her without
attempting to fly.
114.