Walter Deane papers

43 Cambridge, Mass. 1900 May 12

Temperature 48° at 7.30 A.M. Day clear bright no wind. Mercury reached 53° at noon, and fell to 54 at 6.30 P.M. There were many birds still in the Garden do-day. I walked through the Garden several times during the day and I think I observed all that were here. The following is the list: — Empidonax minimus One. Cornus americanus One. Icterus galbula One singing. Quiscalus quiscula aeneus Five in the lindens. Zamelodia ludoviciana One singing. Mnotilta varia. One. Helminthophaga ruficapilla. One seen three times. Once it lit on a branch of the crab-apple tree very close to me and I had an excellent view of it. Compsothlypis americana usneae. Two seen all day, singing. Dendroica aestiva. One or more about all day. Once I saw two chasing each other. Singing all day. Dendroica coronata. One.

44 Cambridge, Mass. 1900 May 12 (2)

Dendroica maculosa. One, or more, about here & there, singing vigorously all day. Dendroica pensylvanic. One seen twice, once close to my window. Dendroica castanea One seen in the hemlocks by the big apple tree. I stood with a few feet and observed every marking as well as if it was in my hand. It was as a superb male in rich plumage. The head was rich chestnut, and the throat and sides a deep chestnut. On the side of the neck was a white patch. The sun shone on him as he poised for me. I can never have a better view. Seiurus aurocapillus. One walking about in his dainty way. Setophaga ruticilla. Two, a fine ♂ {male} and either a ♀ {female} or a young ♂ {male}. It was probably a ♀ {female} as it never sang while the ♂ {male} was singing continually and flitting about, catching insects on the wing. Galeoscoptes carolinensis Two evidently a pair, seen about, all day. Turdus aliciae. One. Same bird as of yesterday. Turdus ustulatus swainsonii. One seen several times Merula mygratoria {migratoria}. At least five. Spizella socialis. One singing. Total 20.

45 Cambridge & Waverly, Mass. 1900 May 13

A clear warm day, mercury rising to nearly 80° {degrees}. This morning I took the electrics to Waverly reaching there at about 9.10. I then walked down the track towards Clematis Brook and the Reservation for about half a mile. The brook flows at the foot of the embankment and in the trees and bushes that border it were innumerable birds filling the air with music. Solitary Sandpipers were bobbing about along the muddy stretches, occasionally rising on quivering bowed wings and flying to another spot, uttering their musical cry. Red-winged Blackbirds filled the large swamp. The rusby and cattails are about two feet high and the beautiful green color of the fresh leaves is a fine sight. The male Red-wings were busily courting the females, chasing them about and displaying their brilliant epaulettes. At one spot I heard the rippling music of a Winter Wren, a dainty little creature of the northern woods, whose song once heard can never be forgotten. He kept close to the border of the brook among the bushes, and his sweet music would come now from directly in front of, and close to me, now from twenty or thirty feet along the stream first on my right, then on my left, eluding my careful search. I know of no bird that can hid[e] so successfully. He is a tiny little bunch of brown, and I well remember my first sight of him in the

46 Cambridge & Waverly, Mass. 1900 May 13 (2)

deep woods in Whitefield. His song to-day, attractive as it was, was far from the rich fulness it attains in the breeding season, when these dainty creatures have reached their nesting home.

I was much pleased to see and hear a Canada Warbler. He was bubbling over with joy so he hopped about in the shrubs over the water. Parula Warblers were singing their soft trill and busily feeding on insects that they would pick off from the leaves and stems of the trees. A Yellow-throated Vireo sang his strong notes, accompanied by the weaker, but persistent song of his relative, the Red-eyed Vireo. A Kingfisher flew over the swamp, uttering his rattling cry, while below in the reeds on a small dead branch, sat a short-billed Marsh Wren. He staid just long enough to give us a good view of him, when he dropped out of sight. I say of "us" for at 10 I met two of the little boys who walked with me last Sunday the 6th. One of them, the youngest, with a small friend was on his way to sell papers in Waverly. The older one whom I saw most of before, accompanied me on my walk. He is a very intelligent lad of 13 years, Fred Johnson by name, and lives in a yellow house on the road between Waverly and Clematis Brook Station. He was very polite and observant. We kept together for an hour when he had to go —

47 Cambridge & Waverly, Mass. 1900 May 13 (3) I walkd way back to the cars before noon. Vegetation is beginning to make great strides. Cress (Nasturtium officinale) is well up, in the brook. Horse-tail (Equisetum arvense) has developed its fertile spikes, the leaves of the Skunk Cabbage are quite large, and the foliage of the trees is becoming dense enough to hide the view within. I took this A.M. pseudargiolus lucia [pseudargiolus lucia] I reached home in time for dinner. The Parkman's Apple Tree is in The Garden is in full flower and is one most in bloom. It is a truly magnificent sight and Mr. Kettell and Will Brewster have been photographing it. Will came down from Concord this morning. I was with him this afternoon [Turdus aliciae] when we saw the Alice's Thrush. He said that it was a find specimen of the species. Following is a list of the Waverly birds: — List of Birds in Waverly Totanus solitarius. 3 = {in full song} and feeding, Beaver Brook. Ceryle alcyon. 1 flying, rattling over the marsh. Colaptes auratus luteus. Heard several times. Tyrannus tyrannus. 2. Empidonax minimus. 1. Corvus americanus. 4 or 5. Dolichonyx oryzivorus. Heard. Agelaus phoeniceus. 20 or 30 ♂♂ & ♀♀ {males & females}. Icterus galbula. 3 x = {in full song} Quiscalus quiscula aeneus. 20 x = {in full song} Zonotrichia albicollis 1 Spizella socialis. 1

48 Cambridge & Waverly, Mass. 1900 May 13 (4) Melospiza fasciata. 5 or 6 x {in full song} Melospiza georgiana 2 x {in full song} Zamelodia ludoviciana. 1 ♀ {female} Hirundo erythrogaster 6 Vireo olivaceus. 1 Vireo flavifrons. 1 x {in full song} Mniotilta varia. 5. Compsothlypis americana usneae. 6 x {in full song}, feeding rather quietly. Dendroica aestiva 12 x {in full song} and very active. Dendroica pensylvanica. 3 Seiurus noveboracensis. 1 seen, 2 or more bd. x {in full song}. Geothlypis trichas. 2 x {in full song} ( Setophaga ruticilla. 2 x {in full song} ( Galeoscoptes carolinensis. 2 x {in full song} Wilsonia canadensis. 1 x {in full song} by brook. Anorthura hiemalis. 1 x {in full song} by brook. Cistothorus stellaris. 1 among reeds. Parus atricapillus. 1 x {in full song} Hylocichla fuscescens. 1 calling by brook. Merula migratoria. 10 or 12. ————— "————— Total 32 sps.

List of Birds in the Garden List of birds seen in the Garden. Those checked seen by W.B. Corvus americana {americanus} 1 : Icterus galbula 2 x {in full song} Quiscalus quiscula aeneus. 4 : ✓Carpodacus purpureas : Astragatinus tristis x {in full song} : ✓Zonotrichia albicollis : Spizella socialis 1 x {in full song} : Zamelodia ludoviciana 1 x {in full song} : ✓Vireo flavifrons : Compsothlypis americana usneae. 2 x {in full song} : Dendroica aestiva. 2 x {in full song} : Dendroica coronata 1 : Dendroica pensylvanica. 1 : Seiurus aurocapillus 1 : Geothlypis trichas 1 : Setophaga ruticilla 1 x {in full song : ✓Galeoscoptes carolinensis 2 : Turdus aliciae 1 seen by W.B. & W.D. : Merula migratoria 4. Total 19 sps.

I have observed 36 species to-day. Melospiza lincolnii, 1 W.B.: Dendroica castanea 1 W.B. Garden.

49 Cambridge, Mass. 1900 May 14 A clear, cool day, slightly cloudy in the morning. The birds still linger in the Garden. I shall not enumerate the list for I record it every afternoon at the Museum in the Gardens List, and they were the same birds practically as yesterday with one or two exception. Will Brewster heard in the lindens in the morning a Blackburnian Warbler, and in the afternoon we both saw a Black-poll Warbler. Dendroica striata He was a fine adult male in splendid plumage, and he was, as all the birds are, very tame. He hopped off from the little bush he was in, to the walk, and paraded directly in front of us.

The Gray-checked Thrush has been about, all through the day, turning up now here, now there. I saw him under my window once, and a moment after he disappeared, an Olivebeaked Thrush took his place, and I could easily compare the two. We noted to-day fifteen species. I think in the whole I will append the list: — Icterus galbula 1 {in full song} : Astragalinus tristis. hd. {heard} x {in full song} : Zonotrichia albicollis, 2 : Melospiza lincolnii x Wren song by W.B. 1 seen by me : Compsothlypis americana usneae 1 : Dendroica aestiva 1 x {in full song} : Dendroica striata 1 ♂ {male} : Dendroica blackburnia 1 x {in full song} W.B. : Seiurus aurocapillus 1 : Setophya ruticilla 2 x {in full song} {a ♂ {male} and either a ♀ ♀ {female or im. ♂ {male}. The latter never sings and is probably a ♀ {female) : Galeoscoptes carolinensis 1 : Hylocichla aliciae 1 : Hylocichla ustulatus swainsonii 1 : Merula migratoria 6 : Melospiza georgiana. 13 sps seen by me. 2 additional by W.B.

50 Cambridge, Mass. 1900 May 15 Mercury 66° {degrees} at 7.30 A.M., 92° {degrees} at 1 P.M. and 82° {degrees} at 6 P.M. No wind, clear A.M. clouds in latter P.M. Thunder at 7 P.M. Smart rain at 7.30.

It has been an oppressively hot day. I expected to find the birds mostly gone on their northward flight but they are therere in goodly numbers. Perhaps most all were fresh arrivals from the south, some surely were but I think that many of yesterday's birds have been in the garden to-day. It was surely the same Oven bird that has been walking over the place for five days, turning up in every corner of the garden. I claim a personal acquaintance with him. He has been close by me so very many times that I think I should know if he had lost a feather or a spot of color. I [rather?] believe there has been more than one Bay breast. [Dendroica castanea] He has been seen for five days. This morning I stood within six steps of him as he sat on a branch of the red cedar in the central path by the pond, busily engaged in devouring a large insect. It took him some time to break it up and swallow it, and I had all the time I wanted to scan every mark of color on him. My glass brought the beautiful creature within my very hand. Again in the afternoon he sat on a twig not five feet from the ground and just for paces from me and again I watched him to my heart's content. It was a very great treat.

51 Cambridge, Mass. 1900 May 15 (2) A new bird to-day, and I should judge a new arrival was ♀ {female} Black-throated Blue Warbler. [Dendroica caerulescens ♀ {female}] I filled a large saucer of a flower- pot, that is under the crab apple tree in front of my window, with clear cold water and almost immediately a female Blackthroated Blue was perched on the side , drinking. I had never seen one before though I have seen the male a number of times. She is as modest in coloration as a Nashville or a Pine Warbler. The little white patch at the base of the primaries is a distinctie mark. Again she took a bath in the saucer, and then sitting on a bough close to me spent some time preening her feathers.

[Myiarchus crinitus] A Red-eyed Vireo and a ♂ {male} Indigo Bird were new birds and greatly was I pleased to see this morning a fine Great-crested Fly-catcher (Myiarchus crinitus). I saw hikm mine different times during the day. He preferred the east half of the Garden and from a perch on the large apple tree, now like a huge bank of snow with its white blossoms. I had a fine view of him, his supher-yellow under parts & bright rufus tail. At one time he darted off at least twenty feet for an insect, turning a regular sumersault as he caught it. Then returning to his perch he devoured it. The sun lighted up his spread tail as hew flew and made it

52 Cambridge, Mass. 1900 May 15 (3) very beautiful. I as usual was standing very near. He kept about all day. Once as I was working at my table he flew close by and lit in the large cherry tree.

One remarkable feature of the past few days has been the tameness of most of the birds. I have been brought closer to them than ever before and their form and coloring are stamped upon my mind.

The Thrushes evidently went last night for we have seen more to-day.

Following is to-day's list of the Garden birds: — Colaptes auratus lutens One calling. Chaetura pelagica One seen y Mrs. C. Kettell Myiarchus crinitus One seen all day. Saw above. Corvus americanus One in the lindens. Icterus galbula One ♂ {male} and ♀ {female}. ♂ {male} x {in full song]. Carpodacus purpureus One singing this A.M. Astragalinus tristis One singing in a tree, then flying over the garden uttering his flight song. Zonotrichia albicollis One, with dull throat. Zamelodia ludoviciana One, a fine ♂ {male} x {in full song].