Nest of the woodcock
MASS. (Middlesex Co.) [Middlesex County, Massachusetts]
1876.
Wenesday [Wednesday]
May 3 [May 3, 1876] Cloudy and chill with E. [East] wind. Spent the
forenoon mounting birds, and took the
4.15 P.M. train for Concord where I met
Jim by appointment and drove up to
Mr. Robbins in Carlylse [Carlisle] to see a woodcock
nest. Arriving a little before sunset Mr. R's
eldest son conducted us to the nest. When we
got within ten yards of it we stopped and
our guide pointed out the sitting bird which
we could distinctly see. Approaching slowly &
keeping Jim's pointer at heel we got within
arms length of the nest without disturbing
the bird, and squatting down in a semi circle
about her we feasted our eyes for full fifteen
minutes on the interesting sight; interesting!
nay more than interesting; [delete]it w[/delete] a very page
of Nature's romance it was; the beautifully
marbled bird sitting quietly on her treasure
within a few feet of her most deadly enemy,
man, to say nothing of the keen scented, [?]
pointer that had been instrumental in
bringing low so many of her kindred. But
there the brown bird sat apparently as impassive
as if carved from stone: but no, the exterior
composure did but conceal the wildly beating
heart within whose rapid pulsations were
betrayed by a slight almost imperceptible
corresponding movement of the tail and back, a heart filled
with dread at the fearful danger but a heart
withal so brave that rather than betray
the parents trust it was prepared to hazard
life itself. The full, dark eye, how beautiful
that too. Not a motion of the eyelid even
would its owner allow, all the time
that we sat talking so near to her.