1902.
March 30
(No 3)
  Walter Deane came from Cambridge and Raymond
Emerson from Concord late this afternoon to hear the
Woodcock. We went to the pasture soon after 6 o'clock.
Raymond was telling me that his brother William
had seen a large flock of Geese passing northward this
morning when I heard faintly but distinctly in
the direction of Punkatassett Hill the note of a Canada
Goose. The sound increased in volume & frequency until
the air was filled with the sharply thrilling, sonorous
clamor. A moment later the flock appeared at a
height so great that its members appeared scarce larger
than Swallows. There were over 100 of the noble birds
(I counted 112 roughly) arranged at first in a double
harrow, later strung out in a line hundreds of yards
in length. They were moving directly northward and
long after they had passed beyond our vision their
honking came distinctly to our ears.
  Raymond also told me that he saw five
White-bellied Swallows & his brother four, on the
river meadows to-day, & that on the 28th he
started a Snipe below Flint's Bridge.
  I saw six Black Ducks early this afternoon.
Raymond says that Whistlers were very abundant
on the meadows a week or two ago. He saw
upwards of 100 in one afternoon. He has seen
only three Sheldrake this spring. I saw a flock
of six (3 drakes, 3 gray birds) on the Merrimack
near Haverill, Mass. on the 27th of this month.
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