Breeding notes and habits of Circus Hudsoniu [Circus Hudsonius]
Song of Vireo Noveboracensis
1875. Middlesex Co., Mass. [Middlesex County, Massachusetts]
May 21 [May 21, 1875] fine [male] marsh hawk for some time.
He evidently had a mate sitting on the
nest in a certain portion of the meadow
for at regular intervals of an hour or so,
he would approach the spot flying very
high up and commence stooping down
like a night hawk at each stoop uttering
a rather feeble kep, kep, kep. While
performing these evolutions his motions
were most graceful [delete]and[/delete] airy and
buoyant; at each descent he approached
nearer the earth and finally I could
just catch sight of him as he rose
above the bushes and plunged down again
[delete]and at last[/delete] and after one or two more
descents he would appear no more, having
probably alighted near his mate. I marked
the spot as accurately as possible and
shall visit it to morrow. The song
of Vireo Noveboracensis may be exactly 
imitated by the syllables chick, a-re chick
or sometimes chick, a-reo. The cherry trees
were fairly out yesterday for the first time.
Hummingbirds are excessively scarce; I
have seen only two. Robins nest, 4 fresh eggs.
  May 22 [May 22, 1875] Rained hard last night clearing off at
noon to day. Very warm in P.M. ther. [thermometer]
reaching 82 [degrees]. Spent the morning about
the house doing up odd jobs which
owing to press of work I have sadly
neglected of late. After dinner drove 
up to the "Willows" taking "Shot". Spent
all the P.M. searching for the marsh