1903
May 16
  Clear and cooler with light, rather chilly N.E. to E. winds.
  Spent the day in Cambridge & Brookline attending to some 
business matters but as I went and returned via W. Bedford, 
walking down through the woods in the early morning &
back just before sunset, I had a rather good opportunity
to ascertain what birds were about. All the migrants
here yesterday seemed to have passed on. Indeed I saw
nothing whatever which may not be found here through
the summer.
  A pair of Phoebees reared a brood of young in the
stone boathouse across the river from Ball's Hill last year.
The nest was built so late in the season that I took
it be a second one. It was placed on a small cleat
attached to the face of a rafter. Early this spring a pair
of Phoebees, presumably the same birds, remained about this
boat house for a week or more. We saw them flying in 
& out but they did nothing to the last year's nest unless
perhaps to throw down part of it which we found on the
ground beneath. After awhile they began nests in two places
on the outer wall of stones up under the elms but neither
of these nests was finished. Suspecting that they did not
care to repair the old nest & were at a loss to get rid 
of it I removed it four days ago (on the 12th.). As I
approached the boat house this morning I saw a Phoebee
enter it with a bill-full of mud. I examined the cleat
& found mud & moss forming a wet lump as big as a
Pigeon's egg plastered on it. When I returned this evening 
there was a nest about 1/2 finished. The Phoebees have
not been seen before near the boat house for three or four