48

Concord, Mass.
1916
October 24
[October 24, 1916]

Evening Grosbeak(?)

  Early this forenoon (about 9:30) I heard what seemed to be the
calls of an Evening Grosbeak coming apparently from somewhere near the
foot of our lane. They were the notes which rather closely resemble
those of the House Sparrow but much louder than those of any Sparrow
and otherwise sufficiently unlike them in quality to attract my attention
at once & to also recall the voice of the Grosbeak seen here last
May. After they had been repeated at least a score of times in quick
succession I hastened down the lane but they ceased before I
reached the cedar groves and then came ever fainter & fainter
from afar, indicating plainly enough that the unseen bird had
taken flight southward. It may be well to add that no
House Sparrow has ever been seen or heard anywhere about the place
thus far this autumn. That the bird heard this morning was
an Evening Grosbeak I feel almost as certain as if it had
been clearly viewed & recognized thus by sight instead of ear.

27
[October 27, 1916]

  Shortly after breakfast (about 8 A.M.) I heard an Evening Grosbeak calling
very near our hose (in front of which I was standing) and apparently
somewhere in the trees or shrubbery at the head of the lane. This time
there could be no doubt whatever as to the identity of the bird for
although it was unseen its voice reached my ears with perfect distinctness and,
as with the grosbeak that appeared here last may it began with a series
of harsh, House-Sparrow-like chirps which presently changed through
intergrading notes to mellow, whistling calls not unlike those of the Pine 
Grosbeak. All these utterances were given in quick succession and sounded
very loud in the calm morning air. After coming from apparently precisely
the same spot for half a minute or more they ceased abruptly, from
which I inferred that their author was perched at first and then
flew off in silence. It was provoking enough to thus fail to catch
sight of him.