Black-bill 
Cuckoo 
A 
^^_iouslj_ 
small 
in the meadow supplied a steady volume of mingled low z-ing 
and chirping which formed as even an undertone or background 
for the other sounds and which reminded me of the sizzling 
of damp wood burning. Once a Tree Toad chirruped in low, 
doubtful tones. Dragon-flies were flitting from stem to 
stem of the Cassandra bushes. The breeze rustled the oak 
leaves overhead. These were all the sights and sounds that 
I noted here. 
^Many of the leaves of the gray birches, especially 
on the lorn^er branches, are turning yellow and some have 
even ripened and fallen. 
by boat 
Late in the afternoon I went up the Assabet/with C., 
rowing to a. little above '’Birds Nest Island" and taking our 
tea in the boat as we floated slowly back with the stream. 
Birds appeared to be very scarce — a Water Thrush, 
a Wood Pewee, a Black-billed Cuckoo, several Robins, a Wilson' 
Thrush, a Cat-bird and three Night Hav/ks besides a Crow or 
two being all that I saw or heard. There was literally no 
singing at sunset save that once a Black-billed Cuckoo 
uttered the series of notes ( cuc-cuc-cuc-cuc- , coo , coo , coo ) 
which seems to serve it in lieu of a song and which I have 
not heard before for more than two weeks. The 'Wilson* s Thrush 
was calling ( pheu ) merely. The Robins, six or eight in number 
came apparently from a distance and singly and pitched into 
the birch swamp exactly at the point where there ws.s a well- 
defined but small roost in 1886-87. There can be no doubt 
that those which came this evening passed the night in these 
Robin roost 
