1903
July 31
Cambridge, Mass.
  Morning sunny; afternoon cloudy; comfortably cool.
  The Robin roost in our garden has been declining 
somewhat of late, perhaps because the cats have killed
several birds on the lawn when they (the Robins) are
accustomed to feed in considerable numbers just before
going to roost in the lilacs. I do not think that
any cats have as yet found access to the garden itself
but something frightened the Robins badly this evening
after nearly all of them had entered the roost. One
or two old birds which still remained in the tops 
of the taller trees suddenly began uttering the insistent 
call which they habitually use as a note of warning
or protest when danger of any kind threatens their 
mates or young. Instantly the fluttering of the birds,
settling on their perches among the lilacs, ceased. The
next moment the entire throng rose, as if at a 
given signal, above the tops of the lower trees and
scattered in every direction most of them flying
off to distance of one hundred yards or more.
As they showed for an instant against the clear
sky towards the north they looked like an immense
flock of Blackbirds. There must have been fully three
or four hundred in all but this is a smaller number
than we had here three weeks ago. A few minutes
later they began returning & I think that most of
them re-entered the roost & spent the night there. They
sound nervous & apprehensive, however, for I repeatedly 
heard them calling up to nine o'clock. The next 
morning I found a dead Robin on the lawn but I
could find no indications that any birds had been
killed in the roost. No such general panic has occurred before this year.
Robin roost in the Garden