MASS. (Middlesex Co.) [Middlesex County, Massachusetts]
1876.
Tuesday 
May 23 [May 23, 1876 Morning cloudy & very cold. Ther [Thermometer] 43 at sunrise
Cleared up noon. Afternoon pleasant & warm
in the run but with cold N.W. [northwest] wind. Took
the 7.30 train for Lincoln. Leaving the
train at the depot I found it so cold that
I was obliged to run a long distance to
get warm. Striking into the woods W. [west]
of the depot found the edges of the 
woodland literally alive with birds of
all kinds, all silent and collected into
small groups or companies hunting for
insects on or near the ground as they
always do at such times. It was
interesting to see warblers, Empidonaeas, Vireos
grosbeaks, tangeres [tanagers] etc. hopping about
together over the oak leaves with their feathers
so ruffled up that their bodies looked like
animated bundles of cotton wool. Keeping
on I next came to the chickadee's nest
found April 29. Peeping down into the hole
as soon as my eyes became accustomed
to the dim interior light, I disarmed
the [female] sitting on the nest her feathers so
ruffled that it was impossible to make out
the relative position of the different parts of
the body. The bright little black eye did
however shine out conspicuous showing where
the head was. No amount of tapping or
rattling on the outside of the stump could enduce
her to come out but when I finally ripped
of [off] the bark laying bare the nest she left
her treasure and lighting near by com-
menced an angry plaint which brought
up her mate, and later another individual
of the same species. The male came up very