CONCORD. 
1895 
October 27 
To Ball's Hill at 8.30 A. M., driving to the Buttricks’ 
and thence sailing down in the Stella Maris. The wind was 
light at first but it gradually increased to a strong breeze. 
The aquatic and semi-aquatic vegetation is now as lifeless 
and brown as in midwinter but the pastures are still green. 
Saw one dragon-fly and several butterflies. 
There were a good many bjlrds — a Red-shouldered 
Hawk, a fine old male, was sitting on a fence post eating 
what seemed to be a mouse, which it held down under its 
feet, drawing out a long string of entrails and swallowing 
them with some difficulty. 
A large flock of Crows were assembled in the chest¬ 
nuts on Holden’s Hill, making a great clamor and finally 
going off Southward. I counted 52. A little later the 
lisping calls of Robins attracted my attention to a flock 
of 47 of these birds which were passing over at a height 
of fully 1000 feet. They were steering due south and un¬ 
questionably were migrating at the time (about 10 A. M.). 
Ten or a dozen Tree Sparrows were rollicking in an alder 
thicket on the river bank. One of them sang a number of 
times. Its voice was as loud and sweet as in spring. Tit¬ 
larks were flying about over the meadows, piping, but most 
of them were single birds, although once I saw five of them 
together. 
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