Nyctiardea Gardeni
MASS. (Middlesex Co.) [Middlesex County, Massachusetts] Turdus migratorius flocking
1876.
(April 5 [April 5, 1876]) practising and have settled down on
the summer trill. Saw large flocks
of blackbirds all three species. Shot
4 Ampelis, a bluebird and a Turdus
mig. [Turdus migratorious] The bluebird had a number
of yellowish tumors growing all over
their upper mandible and one on
an eyelid of either eye. These had
in some places quite eaten away
the horny covering of the bill.
The bird was in otherwise good
condition and had the testicles
highly enlarged. The robins were
collected in flocks of 100 or more
as when they first appeared a
month since. Perhaps those that
first came were our local birds
after all. Near the Mt. Auburn fence
I started a night heron from
a snow laden apple tree and when 
I came back that way later it
flew out again from a pine near
the same place & I fired a long
shot at it without success. It
was in brown plumage. Saw
several Certhias and a few 
tree sparrows but the latter are
unusually scarce this spring.
  By noon the snow had melted
off all the trees and the scene was
entirely changed. Even the birds seemed
to have disappeared as I saw not
half so many on my walk back
through even at that time, a few
fox sparrows were still singing