44
Concord, Mass.
Spring and early summer.
1913.

107.  Little Black Rail (?). At 6.45 P.M. on June 19 [June 19, 1913] a Kicker began 
singing just across the river from Ball's Hill near the mouth of our 
boat canal but a little to the left of it where there is a shallow 
cove covered with lily pads and dotted with tiny marshy islands haunted, 
just now, by bellowing Bull Frogs. The mysterious bird had an unusually 
harsh voice and began his serenade by unfamiliar notes which sounded 
like kitt-cro-crew. After repeating these a dozen times or more he 
gradually changed to the k-ki-ki, ki-queer utterance which we have 
heard in former years but which seemed, on this occasion, a trifle less shrill 
and squealing than of yore. It was kept up practically without 
cessation until 7.45 P.M. after which the bird lapsed into complete 
silence. Nor did I ever hear him again although listening for him 
very frequently during the next following week. The evening of the 
19th [June 19, 1913] was calm, warm and cloudy with misty rain falling at 
intervals. That of the 20th [June 20, 1913] was similar in character.

108.  Canada Goose. While at work near the cabins at Ball's Hill 
about 10 A.M. on March 27 [March 27, 1913] Pat Flannery heard Geese honking to 
the westward. Two birds presently passed, flying low over the water 
down river but the outcry from above continued unabated. Following 
up the sound Pat presently walked along the river path to 
Benson's Knoll whence he could command a view through intervening 
leafless trees of the flooded Barrett Meadow which, to his surprise, 
was literally besprinkled from one end to the other with Geese, 
swimming and floating in the shallow water. After watching them 
for several minutes he returned to his work, leaving them 
undisturbed. He continued to hear them for an hour or two later
but does not know what finally became of them. There were, 
he thought, upwards of 100 in the meadow when he viewed them there.
My only sight or sound of Geese this season was on April 18 [April 18, 1913] when
 at 8.30 a.m. I saw a flock of about 40 passing N.E. [northeast] over Birch 
Field so very low that, as I stood in front of our farm, they seemed 
to be flying below the tops of the Pulpit Rock pines. They honked only twice.