CONCORD 
1893 
April 31 
Ball's Hill 
Red- 
shouldered 
Hawk 
Bluebirds 
At 2 P. M. I started down river in the open canoe 
and sailed most of the way, close hauled, to Ball’s Hill. 
A Red-shouldered Hawk soaring and screaming over the knoll 
near Hunt’s Landing suddenly closed its wings and shot down 
like a falling rocket into the pitch pines, descending 
about 100 feet. I landed and looked for a nest but could 
find nothing but a Gray Squirrel’s nest. It is a mystery 
where these Hawks are breeding. I see one or both daily 
near this knoll. Sometimes they circle screaming above 
Ripley’s Hill within hearing of the Buttricks'. 
^Landing at the cabin, I left my things and walked 
across the fields to Holden’s, seeing on the way two 
Savanna Sparrows on a grassy knoll and a flock of five 
Yellow Red-poll Warblers accompanied by a Pine Warbler and 
two Bluebirds in an apple tree on a hillside near birches. 
In an elm in front of Holden's house a pair of 
bluebirds were copulating. I saw only one act of union 
which was accompanied by a peculiar low, chattering sound 
made, I thought, by the male, although of this I had no 
proof. 
Hairy 
Woodpecker 
Returning to Bensen’s, I heard a Woodpecker 
uttering the chick which is common to both Picus°pubescene 
and Picuffl vilibnus ."out which differs slightly, I have 
always thought, with the two species. I set this bird 
down for villosus , the first moment I heard it, and fol¬ 
lowing up the sound found that I was right. The bird, a 
female, was peeking small holes in a very slender and 
rotten oak stub from which it extracted several insects 
