Concord. Mass.
1909.
March 28
(No 2)
  I was returning from Mr. Howes shortly after
sunset this evening and had reached the Ritchie house when
I looked intently ahead at the group of big-leafed poplars
in the corner of our berry pasture just over the wall from
the roadside hoping vaguely that I might see a Partridge there.
Sure enough there was one, easily to be mistaken at that
distance for the Oriole or caterpillar nest that might have
been but was not, there. I passed her within fifteen yards
and kept on up the road to a distance of sixty yards
before stopping. All this while and for five minutes 
longer she remained rigid and motionless her body rather
erect her neck stretched up & looking scarce thicker
than one's finger, her crest erect with its feathers widely
parted. At length she abandoned her statuesque
pose and hopping up to a branch just above where
she had been sitting began budding. During the
Hen Partridge "budding" in poplar.