28 July 1856 – 3 August 1856

At 1.30 a thunder-shower, which was much needed, the corn having rolled and trees suf- fered. 3.30 p. M. — To Climbing Fern. | Virgin’s-bower, apparently two or three days. Naba- lus albus, a day or two. Sand cherry ripe. ‘The fruit droops in umble-like clusters, two to four peduncles together, on each side the axil of a branchlet or a leaf. Emerson and Gray call it dark-red. It is black when ripe. Emerson, Gray, and Bigelow speak of it as rare in this State! It is common enough here. I have seen it as abundant as anywhere on Weir (or Ware) Hill in Sudbury, Bigelow’s own town.' Cherry three eighths of an inch [in] diameter, peduncle seven sixteenths long. Emerson calls it eatable! On Lin- nea Hill. By factory road clearing, the small rough sunflower, two or three days. Gerardia flava, appar- ently several days. Cicuta bulbosa, several days. Rich- weed at Brown’s oak, several days (since 16th; say 92d).

Rhexia. Probably would be earlier if not mowed down. What I have called Hzeracium Gronovii, with three cauline leaves and without veins, has achenia like H. venosum; so I will give it up. Its radical leaves are very hairy beneath, especially along midrib. An- other smart rain, with lightning. Pratt gave me a chimney swallow’s nest, which he says fell down Wesson’s chimney with young in it two or three days ago. As it comes to me, it is in the form of the segment of the circumference of a sphere whose diameter is three and a half inches, the segment being two plus wide, one side, of course, longer than the other. It bears a little soot on the inner side. It may have been placed against a slanting part of the chimney, or per- haps some of the outer edge is broken off. It is composed wholly of stout twigs, one to two inches long, one six- teenth to one eighth inch [in] diameter, held quasi cob- ie 1 Was it not choke-berry ? fashion, so as to form a sort of basketwork one third to one half inch thick, without any lin- ing, at least in this, but very open to oe the air. These twigs, which are quite knubby, seem to be of the apple, elm, and the like, and are firmly fastened together by a very conspicuous whitish semi-transparent glue, which is laid on pretty copiously, sometimes extending con- tinuously one inch. It reminds me of the edible nests of the Chinese swallow. Who knows but their edible- ness is due to a similar glue secreted by the bird and used still more profusely in building its nests? The chimney swallow is said to break off the twigs as it flies. Pratt says he one day walked out with Wesson, with their rifles, as far as Hunt’s Bridge. Looking down- stream, he saw a swallow sitting on a bush very far off, at which he took aim and fired with ball. He was sur- prised to see that he had touched the swallow, for it flew directly across the river toward Simon Brown’s barn, always descending toward the earth or water, not being able to maintain itself; but what surprised him most was to see a second swallow come flying be- hind and repeatedly strike the other with all his force beneath, so as to toss him up as often as he approached the ground and enable him to continue his flight, and thus he continued to do till they were out of sight. Pratt said he resolved that he would never fire at a swallow again.

P.M. — To Rudbeckia laciniata via Assabet. Amaranthus hybridus and albus, both some days at: least; first apparently longest. This is a perfect dog-day. The atmosphere thick, mildewy, cloudy. It is difficult to dry anything. The sun is obscured, yet we expect no rain. Bad hay weather. The streams are raised by the showers of yesterday and day before, and I see the farmers turning their black- looking hay in the flooded meadows with a fork. The water is suddenly clear, as if clarified by the white of an egg or lime. I think it must be because the light is reflected downward from the overarching dog-day sky. It assists me very much as I go looking for the cerato- phyllum, potamogetons, etc. All the secrets of the river bottom are revealed. I look down into sunny depths which before were dark. ‘The wonderful clearness of the water, enabling you to explore the river bottom and many of its secrets now, exactly as if the water had been clarified. ‘This is our compensation for a heaven concealed. The air is close and still. Some days ago, before this weather, I saw haymakers at work dressed simply in a straw hat, boots, shirt, and pantaloons, the shirt worn like a frock over their pants. ‘The laborer cannot endure the contact with his clothes. I am struck with the splendid crimson-red under sides of the white lily pads where my boat has turned them, at my bath place near the Hemlocks. For these pads, 7. e. the white ones, are but little eaten yet. Rudbeckia laciniata, perhaps a week. When I have just rowed about the Island a green bittern crosses in my rear with heavy flapping flight, its legs dangling, not observing me. It looks deep slate-blue above, yellow legs, whitish streak along throat and breast, and slowly plows the air with its prominent breast-bone, like the stake-driver.

Thursday. P.M. —'To Decodon Pond. Erigeron Canadensis, some time. Alisma mostly gone to seed. Thoroughwort, several days. Penthorum, a good while. Trichostema has now for some time been springing up in the fields, giving out its aromatic scent when bruised, and I see one ready to open. For a morning or two I have noticed dense crowds of little tender whitish parasol toadstools, one inch or more in diameter, and two inches high or more, with simple plaited wheels, about the pump platform; first fruit of this dog-day weather. Measured a Rudbeckia hirta flower; more than three inches and three eighths in diameter. As I am going across to Bear Garden Hill, I see much white Polygala sanguinea with the red in A. Wheeler’s meadow (next to Potter’s). Also much of the Bartonia tenella, which has been out some days at least, five rods from ditch, and three from Potter’s fence.

To Ludwigia spherocarpa. Burdock, several days at least. Erechthites, apparently two or three days, by Peter’s Path, end of Cemetery, the middle flowers first. Crotalaria in fine lechea field, how long? Still out, and some pods fully grown. Liatris will apparently open in a day or two. Diplopappus umbellatus at Peter’s wall. Desmodium Canadense, some time; several great stems five feet high, a little spreading. Since July 30th, inclusive, we have had perfect dog- days without interruption. The earth has suddenly [become] invested with a thick musty mist. The sky has become a mere fungus. A thick blue musty veil of mist is drawn before the sun. The sun has not been visible, except for a moment or two once or twice a day, all this time, nor the stars by night. Moisture reigns. You cannot dry a napkin at the window, nor press flowers without their mildewing. You imbibe so much moisture from the atmosphere that you are not so thirsty, nor is bathing so grateful as a week ago. The burning heat is tempered, but as you lose sight of the sky and imbibe the musty, misty air, you exist as a vegetable, a fungus. Unfortunate those who have not got their hay. I see them wading in overflowed meadows and pitching the black and mouldy swaths about in vain that they may dry. In the meanwhile, vegetation is becoming rank, vines of all kinds are rampant. Squashes and melons are said to grow a foot in a night. But weeds grow as fast. The corn unrolls. Berries abound and attain their full size. Once or twice in the day there is an imperfect gleam of yellow sunlight for a moment through some thinner part of the veil, reminding us that we have not seen the sun so long, but no blue sky is revealed. The earth is completely invested with cloud- like wreaths of vapor (yet fear no rain and need no veil), beneath which flies buzz hollowly and torment, and mosquitoes hum and sting as if they were born of such an air. The drooping spirits of mosquitoes revive, and they whet their stings anew. Legions of buzzing flies blacken the furniture. (For a week at least have heard that snapping sound under pads.') We havea dense fog every night, which lifts itself but a short dis- tance during the day. At sundown I see it curling up from the river and meadows. However, I love this moisture in its season. I believe it is good to breathe, wholesome as a vapor bath. Toadstools shoot up in the yards and paths. The Great Meadows being a little wet, — hardly so much as usual, —I took off my shoes and went barefoot some two miles through the cut-grass, from Peter’s to Sphzerocarpa Pools and backward by river. Very little grass cut there yet. The cut-grass is bad for tender feet, and you must be careful not to let it draw through your hands, for it will cut like a fine saw.

P. M.— To Hill. A green bittern comes, noiselessly flapping, with stealthy and inquisitive looking to this side the stream and then that, thirty feet above the water. This ante- diluvian bird, creature of the night, is a fit emblem of a dead stream like this Musketicook. ‘This especially is the bird of the river. There is a sympathy between its sluggish flight and the sluggish flow of the stream, —its slowly lapsing flight, even hke the rills of Mus- keticook and my own pulse sometimes. Very common now are the few green emerald leafets of the Bidens Beckw, which will ere long yellow the shallow parts. Acalypha, apparently not long. Dodder, not long (not out 27th of July at railroad bridge), say four or five days. A three-ribbed goldenrod by small apple, by wall at foot east side of Hill (S. gigantea ? or one of the two preceding), not nearly out. It differs from my gigantea apparently only in the leaves being perfectly smooth above and the stem smooth and pink [ ?] glaucous (excepting a little pubescence near the top). Very tall. Vide it by and by. The lower leaves of some catnep are now of that delicate lake or claret color. Some waxwork leaves have felt the heat and slight drought. Their green is spotted with yellow, distinct yellow and green; others a very delicate clear yellow; others faded quite white.

Sunday. P. M. — To Lee’s Cliff by river. Landing at flat shore. The sium and sarothra ap- parently now in prime. The central umbel of the sium going or gone to seed. The whorled utricularia is open all day. The Hypericum ellipticum is apparently out of bloom, there at least. At length from July 30th inclusive the cloud-like wreaths of mist of these dog-days lift somewhat, and the sun shines out more or less, a short time, at 3 Pp. M.