Heard a purple finch sing here. It was 
a very sweet rippling song reminding ne some¬ 
what of the ruby-crowned kinglets.I had heard 
over in the pasture. I had some difficulty in 
locating it but finally saw it in a basswood 
where it resembled the bunches of dry leaves 
hanging around it. It did not seem to mind my 
presence much but kept on singing. It would 
Preen its feathers and then sing. 
The day was warm with slight dashes of 
rain so that birds were moving late. A day 
like this seems a better one for observation than 
a warm sunny one. On sunny days the birds soon 
settle down to feeding generally in a restricted 
ar ea and are as a rule more silent. 
October 19, 1902 - Sund ay. 
This morning the sun shone in a halfhearted 
“lanner from under a thin veil of fleecy clouds 
occasionally finding a rent and for a moment 
shining with good strong rays on the earth below. 
A rather cool northwest wind was blowing. I start¬ 
ed for a walk intending to stay all the forenoon 
and to end at the Hemlock Bluffs. In Fiske's pas¬ 
ture three meadowlarks flew up from a sheltered 
weedy sMale and flew without a sound to a big oak. 
A cloud of dead leaves torn off by the wind came 
°ut towards like messengers to welcome them. Four 
others flew out of a similar situation and joined 
them. One tried to light in a bunch of leaves but 
failed and turning lit on a fence post. 
By the edge of Bunnels pasture were a number 
°f juncoes and a few purple finches. The finches 
of course were singing and the juncoes fought with 
them but without advantage to either side. 
Heard a red-bellied woodpecker and tried to 
watch it but did not succeed very well. It was in 
JJ tree and hitched up higher giving the notes which 
«ad called ny attention to it. It looked at me 
rather suspiciously I thought and finally flew off 
so some other woods. 
