Walter Deane (1848-1930) Papers; Journal Jan-Dec 1901. Botany Libraries, Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, Mass.

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cover (seq. 1)

—1901—

Last edit almost 3 years ago by Judy Warnement
page [1] Jan-Feb 1901 (seq. 2)
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page [1] Jan-Feb 1901 (seq. 2)

1 Cambridge, Mass. 1901 January & February

The two months have been spend quietly at work in the Museum. I have among other things made a card catalogue of the birds in the mounted collection. After all the details are properly made out I shall copy these on to regular cards that it may be properly preserved. Will Brewster has been in Bethel since the first day of December excepting a few days at Christmas time. Gilbert has been with me.

The weather has been mild for winter with very little snow. February was a very chilly month. But few birds have been seen in the garden. The Chickadees have been present daily, coming to the suet to feed. All these facts have been carefully recorded at the Museum.

I was sick with grippe from January 17 to 27, but I picked up quickly after I got out again.

The meetings of our "We Dine" Club have been most pleasant. I had it on January 17 and Arthur Chadbourne on February 21. It is one of the pleasantest evenings I spend. All are bright and jolly and we break up about 10 or 10:30, never later.

Last edit over 1 year ago by Judy Warnement
page [2] 17 Mar 1901 (seq. 3)
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page [2] 17 Mar 1901 (seq. 3)

2 Waverley, Mass. 1901 Mar. 17

This morning (Sunday) was clear and cool and I took the electrics to Waverley and spent two hours and a half walking over the Reservation. It was my first outing, I was up the tracks of the Massachusetts Central R.R. and came upon a flock of about twelve Tree Sparrows in the leafless bushes along Beaver Brook by the wooden bridge that spans it. The birds were singing very beautifully and I listened to them for some time with much pleasure. As I [right margin: A Sharp-skinned Hawk attacks Tree Sparrows] was standing on the bridge watching the Sparrows and intent upon their song, suddenly an object flashed over me from behind and dropped, lightening like in speed, plunging into the midst of the bushes where the birds were. I could not at first realize that it was a Sharp-shinned Hawk. It dove so hard into the bushes that it struck the water with great splash. Immediately following this, there was dead silence among the birds. After waiting some minutes, without seeing the Hawk appear I walked over up the side of the brook a few rods and started it up. It flew skulking through the bushes out of sight. From the fact that it was quiet so long, it probably had caught its bird

I saw two Song Sparrows, one in full song Crows, Chickadees and heard the cries of a Red-shouldered Hawk —

Last edit over 1 year ago by Judy Warnement
page [3] 24 Mar 1901 (seq. 4)
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page [3] 24 Mar 1901 (seq. 4)

3 Cambridge, Mass. 1901 Mar. 24

George & I drove this morning (Sunday) through Belmont & Waverley and part of Watham [Waltham], driving for some distance on the highway connecting Waltham and East Lexington. The mercury stood at 40° and the sky was clouded with light rain part of the time. The country is full of birds but the leafless trees & shrubs and the brown grass show that vegetation has not yeet taken a start.

We saw the following birds: – 1. Colaptes auratus luteus. Flickers were shunting continuously in every direction. 2. Corvus americanus. Constantly met with. 3. Cyanocitta cristata. Two flocks of 8 or 10 birds screaming. one in Waverley: one in Watham [Waltham]. 4. Agelaius phoeniceus 30 or 40 in all, in Belmont & Waltham feeding in open fields, perching on telegraph wires, etc. 5. Quiscalus quiscula aeneus 30 or 40 in all in Belmont & Waltham in company with Red wings. 6. Sturnella magna. Saw and heard one in Waltham and heard one in Belmont 7. Melospiza fasciata Singing everywhere continually 8. Lanius borealis. Saw one on top of tall elm. Belmont. He scaled past us & lit in an apple treee where were several Grackles & Redwings. 9. Parus atricapillus. A few in Cambridge & Waltham 10. Merula migratoria. Everywhere. Flock of 40 in open field in Belmont; flock of 30, Waltham. We saw at least 100 during our drive. 11. Sialia sialis. We saw 10 altogether and heard 4 or 5. 3 were in Cambridge near Fresh Pond.

Last edit over 1 year ago by Judy Warnement
page [4] (seq. 5)
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page [4] (seq. 5)

4 Belmont, Mass 1901 Mar. 24 (2)

— Birds — Nine species observed at one spot.

An interesting bird episode on School St. Belmont, north of Washington St. on the slope of the hill where we paused to see & hear what we could. Across the field on our right, perched in the top of a large apple tree, sat a Meadow Lark singing most exquisitely. As I looked at him through my glass. I could plainly see him open wide his mandibles as he sang. He did not move his body. A hundred yards or less to the left, sat a Northern Shrike in the top of a large elm. After remaining there motionless several minutes he swooped off on a downward curve, passed close in front of us and alighted in a small apple tree in which were about a dozen Bronzed Grackles & Redwings. The Shrike was but two or three feet from a Grackle & a Redwing. Some the birds flew off and left him alone. The field about this apple-tree was occupied by a flock of forty Robins and a dozen or more Grackles & Redwings hopping about, feeding. We heard a Flicker [sh??ting], a Bluebird singing and saw two or three Crows. That made nine species that we observed while sitting in the buggy for about ten minutes. I omitted from the list a Song Sparrow —

Last edit over 1 year ago by Judy Warnement
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