1906 
April 10
  Cloudy with chill N.E. wind changing to N.W. in P.M.
Fine, misty rain in forenoon. It rained heavily before daybreak
but the country was white with snow up to 9 A.M.
  Purdie and I walked down the road after breakfast.
Song Sparrows singing on every hand. Two Blue Jays (the first 
I have noted) screaming. On reaching the Ritchie place we
heard a Grass Finch in full song and presently another
further off in Howe's pasture. A few minutes later two
Carolina Doves began cooing in the oak woods bordering
the road to Bensen's. We returned through the wood road
that leads across the run. Here we found perfectly fresh
tracks of a medium-sized Raccoon. They were printed
with exquisite clearness in the thin layer of damp snow.
The animal's long claw marks and plantigrade heel were
beautifully shown. We traced him to and into the lane
that leads to the barn where the snow failed us. He must
have passed that way only an hour or two before we did
for the snow had been melting rapidly yet I have never seen
fresher or clearer tracks.
Grass Finches & Carolina Doves arrive
Raccoon tracks
  The cooing of a Carolina Dove regularly begins, or rather
is preceded by, a low murmuring note given with a rising
inflection. This is ordinarily given but once before each set
of cooing notes. The whole may be written ur r r k (or mu r rk) coo; 
coo, coo. Sometimes the murmuring sound is reported several
times before it is followed by the coos. This morning a
bird uttered it a dozen or more times at short intervals
without cooing at all. This murmur is closely similar
to that produced by a domestic Pigeon when disturbed 
on her nest.