Nests of Turdus mig. [Turdus migratorius] Habits of the night hawk
MAINE, (L. Umbagog. [Umbagog Lake, Maine]) Nest of Quiscalus in a fir.
1876.
Sunday
June 4 [Sunday June 4, 1876] Cloudy & rained at intervals all day.
Quite cool. Spent the entire day
in the house writing etc. Heard a
[male] Hel. perigrina [Helminthophila peregrina] in the savins. H. [Edward Harrington]
found four nests of Turdus mig. [Turdus migratorius] three
of them with young and a nest 
of Quiscalus pur. [Quiscalus purpureus] in a fine fir among
the savins with 2 eggs. He went up
to "the sluice" yesterday with a river
driver as guide but did not get
anything except a last years nest
of Turdus Swainsoni with two whole
eggs faded & stained nearly beyond
recognition. This evening I went
over into Abbotts garden to see
the night hawks come in. Sitting
down on the edge of one of the beds I
had been there but a few moments when
they commenced pitching down on the
freshly stirred earth. This time I had a
much better chance to observe them that the
other night as they were much nearer to
me. They kept constantly coming & going but
so short a time did each remain that not more
than three were on the ground together. As
before they seemed to be feeding on insects
but if this is their object I cannot imagine
why the males do not come too for only females
are ever seen about this spot. I heard a new
note from one which I startled by moving suddenly
a clucking whuk, whuk. Several times they were
within six feet of me and I noticed that I
could move a good deal sometimes without their 
noticing me. Their gait when walking slowly
is as toddling & weak as possible.