This morning the boys and. I heard a northern 
shrike sing but I forgot to mention it. It 
whistled and gave a spluttering bubbling note. 
It sounded very nice. The notes were given 
singly. The bird was by Engleman's swimming hole. 
It sat near the middle of a tree across the 
r iver from us. After a while it flew over 
farther, it did not seem afraid. 
friarch 18, 1901 - Monday . 
This morning about 6:30 I went down in the 
fields. I could hear bluebirds and prairie horned 
I&rks all over. Two bluebirds lit on a tree by 
the church. Went down in I,Maine's woods. Heard 
the tree sparrows singing. They did not sing a 
long song. It was about as long as the song 
sparrows. 
Heard a chuck and looking up saw a bronzed 
Srackle. It sang. I watched it out of sight. 
^ome other birds flew over calling that I did not 
re cognise. They had notes something like those 
°f the lapland longspur (rusty blackbird) but 
Were much larger. Suddenly I heard a bubbling 
ker ee from Seeley’s marsh and knew that the 
lackbird had arrived. It sang several times. 
I heard a welcome he he h e and looking up saw 
wo robins. They were laughing at the retreat of 
winter. Then I went home. 
After breakfast I went down there again. The 
lr ds seemed to be passing to and fro along the 
galley over Maine's woods. Saw some more of 
°se strange birds. They broke into song and I 
that they were rusty blackbirds. I think 
at some other birds are in with them. They fly 
around in loose flocks of from 10 to 50. Al- 
°&ether I saw about 250 of them. They sang 
° c casionally. 
Saw the quail in Maine's woods. 
That red-winged blackbird was still in Seeley’s 
^ r sh. i we nt over to see it. Saw two meadow- 
aiks sitting in the trees along the river. Thev 
sang. J 
