First day of trip to Mts. Wachusett [Mount Wachusett] et 
Monadnock with J.C. Melvin
1875. June 16 - 1875.
June 16 [June 16, 1875] Cloudless but very smoky. Not very warm.
Left Cambridge at 10.15 and arrived at 
Concord at 12.15 where I put up my horse
and took dinner with Jim M. [James C. Melvin] On the
way up found a nest of Py. rubra [Piranga rubra] on
an oak bough overhanging the road and
standing up on the seat of my buggy I
ascertained that it contained two eggs, which
I left in hopes of more on my return.
Also saw a quail in the road near Hardy's
Pond [Hardy Pond, Waltham, Massachusetts], which running along ahead in the
road, easily kept ahead of my trotting
horse for a considerable distance. At 1.35
we left Concord in my buggy with Jim's
horse for the motive power. The road passes
through the villages of Assabet, Stowe,
Bolton Lancaster, Sterling & Princeton to
the [delete]half w[/delete] Mountain house half way
up Wauchusett [Mount Wachusett] where we pulled up at
7.30 P.M. From Concord to Sterling the
road is very good and the scenery more
than usually beautiful, though perfectly
typical of Mass. [Massachusetts] The remaining six
miles are very hard ones - almost one
continuous hill. Sturnella magna
was abundant all the way up, but 
was not seen I think beyond Princeton.
A single quail was heard in Stowe and
two others at the foot of the mountain
in Princeton. The first Turdus pallasii 
I saw about a mile E. [east] of the latter town,
Had a first rate supper and spent the
evening on the piazza of the Mountain
house. Had a slight shower at 9 P.M.
Antrostomus vociferus heard singing near
the house. Distance from Concord, 35 miles.