30 May 1859 – 5 June 1859

P. M.— To Gowing’s Swamp. Sorrel begins to redden fields. The peculiarly tender foliage (yellowish) which began to invest the dark ever- greens on the 22d lasts a week or more, growing darker. No American mountain-ash out. When I entered the interior meadow of Gowing’s Swamp I heard a slight snort, and found that I had sud- denly come upon a woodchuck amid the sphagnum, lambkill, Kalmia glauca, andromeda, cranberry, etc., there. It was only seven feet off, and, being surprised, would not run. It would only stand erect from time to time, — perfectly erect with its blackish paws held like hands near together in front, — just so as to bring its head, or eyes, above the level of the lambkill, kalmia, etc., and look round, turning now this ear toward me, then that; and every now and then it would make a short rush at me, half a foot or so, with a snort, and then draw back, and also grit its teeth — which it showed — very audibly, with a rattling sound, evidently to intimi- date me. I could not drive it, butit would steadily face me and rush toward me thus. Also it made a short mo- tion occasionally as if to bury itself by burrowing there. It impressed me as a singularly wild and grizzly [sic] native, survivor of the red man. He may have thought that no one but he came to Gowing’s Swamp these afternoons. Its colors were gray, reddish brown, and blackish, the gray-tipped wind hairs giving it a grizzly look above, and when it stood up its distinct rust-color beneath was seen, while the top of its head was dark-brown, becoming black at snout, as also its paws and its little rounded ears. Its head from snout to ears, when it stood up erect, made a nearly horizontal line. It did much looking round. When thus erect, its expression and posture were very bear-like, with the clumsiness of the bear. Though I drew off three or four rods, it would not retreat into the thicket (which was only a rod off) while I was there so near. The scheuchzeria is at height or past. E. Emerson’s Calla palustris out the 27th. Eleocharis palustris, R. W. E.’s meadow, not long. Hear of linnea out, the 28th.

Tuesday. Small black flies or millers over river, with long feelers, flying low in swarms now.

Wednesday. Some boys found yesterday, in tussock of sedge amid some flags in a wet place in Cyrus Hosmer’s meadow, west of the willow-row, six inches above the water, the nest evidently of a rail, with seven eggs. I got one to-day. It is cream-colored, sprinkled with reddish-brown spots and more internal purplish ones, on most eggs (not on mine) chiefly about the larger end. Vide September 7th and 9th and 21st and December 7th, ’58, and June 13th, 59. The nest (which I have) is made of old sedge, five or six inches [in] diameter and one or two deep. There has been an abundance of meadow sedges (carices) flowering and fruiting in May, but from the end of May to the middle of June is apparently the best time to study them. Eleocharis palustris not quite open yesterday in river.'

I hear that Farmer shot on the 28th ult. two marsh hawks, male and female, and got their four eggs, in which the young were moving. P. M. — To Flnt’s Pond. Red maple seed is partly blown off. Some of it 1s con- spicuously whitish or light-colored on the trees. Examine a small striped snake, some sixteen inches long. Dark-brown above, with a grayish dorsal line and squarish black spots in the brown; then lighter-brown or dead-leaf color on the sides, chocolate-brown still lower, and light or pale-cream brown beneath. A dark- brown spot on each side of each abdominal plate. The sides yellowish forward. This is apparently a striped snake, but not yellow-striped as described. Strawberries reddening on some hills. Found within three rods of Flint’s Pond a rose- breasted grosbeak’s nest.’ It was in a thicket where there was much cat-briar, in a high blueberry bush, some five feet from the ground, in the forks of the bush, and of very loose construction, being made of the dead gray extremities of the cat-briar, with its tendrils (and some of this had dropped on the ground beneath), and this was lined merely with fine brown stems of weeds like pinweeds, without any leaves or anything else, — a slight nest on the whole. Saw the birds. The male uttered a very peculiar sharp clicking or squeaking note of alarm while I was near the nest. The egg is thickly spotted with reddish brown on a pale-blue ground (not white ground as Buonaparte and the New York ornithologist say), like a hermit thrush’s, but rounder; very delicate.

Friday. P. M.— Up Assabet. A large yellow butterfly (somewhat Harris Papilio Asterias like but not black-winged) three and a half to four inches in expanse. Pale-yellow, the front wings crossed by three or four black bars; rear, or outer edge, of all wings widely bordered with black, and some yel- low behind it; a short black tail to each hind one, with two blue spots in front of two red-brown ones on the tail." Arenaria lateriflora well out, how long? Common rum cherry out yesterday, how long? Cares crinita out a good while. Carex lanuginosa, Smith’s shore, green fruit. Carex pallescens, Smith’s shore (higher up bank), green fruit. Nighthawk, two eggs, fresh. Quail heard.

P. M. — To Flint’s Pond. Cornus alternifolia well out, apparently three or four days. Yellow-eyed grass, how long? Poa compressa not quite out.

Sunday. P. M.— To Ball’s Hill. Cat-briar in flower, how long? Allium not out. See several ducks, I think both summer and black. A yellowbird’s nest; four eggs, developed. Pigeon woodpecker’s nest in a hollow black willow over river; six eggs, almost hatched. The new white maple leaves look reddish, and at a distance brown, as if they had not put out yet.