CONCORD 
1898 
June 21 
Returned to Concord by the 8.30 A. M. train. Found 
the country about Rail’s Hill unusually fresh and green, 
owing to the abundant rains of the past month. The river 
continues high and we embarked at the end of the ditch on 
the Bedford shore without difficulty. 
I spent the afternoon with Pat, opening a path between 
the ditch landing and Parker’s Landing. This will shorten 
the distance from the ditch to the railroad station nearly 
one-half, besides giving us an exceptionally beautiful 
path with some of the prettiest views over the meadows that 
I have yet discovered. 
While thus engaged, I discovered a Bittern standing 
erect and still in the open meadow about fifty yards off. 
It had probably heard but evidently did not see me. Bill, 
neck and body rising among the grass in a perfectly straight 
line and at an inclination of about 45° formed a curiously 
close imitation of a weather-beaten and leaning stake. 
The feathers of the body were evidently compressed so 
that this part did not appear much thicker than the neck. 
The black stripes on the neck helped to make the bird in¬ 
conspicuous by diverting the eye from the outlines of the 
neck and body. 
After standing thus perfectly motionless for 
several minutes, the bird would slowly draw down its neck 
