Concord, Mass
Ball's Hill.
1900.
August 4
  Brilliantly clear with N.E. to W. wind. Morning &
evening very cool; middle of day rather warm.
  Spent the entire day near the cabin or across the
river at the new boat house. After supper Purdie
& I walked along the river path to Pine Park.
  When I first came out at half past six this
morning a pair of big Snapping turtles were having a
desperate fight near the middle of the river. The struggle
lasted five minutes or more and the ripples caused
by it covered the whole river from shore to shore.
Snapping
Turtles
fighting
  At 7 A.M. Pat called us out of the cabin to see
two Great Blue Herons which had just alighted near
together in the top of a maple on the West Bedford Shore.
They remained there for nearly 10 minutes frequently
opening their broad wings and holding them extended
& motionless after the manner of Vultures or flapping
them slowly. They finally took flight and rose
high over the meadows where they were joined by
a third bird of the same species, all three soaring
in circles like Eagles & slowly drifting off to the
S.W.
Great Blue 
Herons
  I saw during the day a male Scarlet Tanager (in full
breeding plumage apparently), a family party of five
Yellow Warblers, two Bitterns, a Green Heron & a
number of commoner birds.
Scarlet Tanager
in red plumage
  I heard singing a long-billed Marsh Wren, a Maryland
Yellow-throat (flight song over at evening), a Red-eyed
Vireo, a Song sparrow, two Swamp Sparrows, & a Phoebe.
Birds hear
singing
  The Quail across the river whistled bob white all day long.
The only Bartrachians heard now are the Green Frogs.
Tree Crickets (Acris grylla) are in nearly full cry near the cabin.
Frogs
Tree Crickets. 
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