334 MASS. (Middlesex Co.) May 1876. Monday May 23 Morning cloudy & very cold. The frost burned off soon. Afternoon pleasant & warm in the sun but still cold N.W. wind. Took the 7.30 train for Gloucester. Hearing the train at the depot I found it so cold that I was obliged to run a long distance to get warm. Striking into the woods W. of the depot found the edges of the woodland literally alive with birds of all kinds all silent and collected into small groups or companies hunting for insects on or near the ground as they always do at such times. It was interesting to see warblers, Empidomus, thrush, grasshoppers, tanagers etc. hopping about together under the oak leaves with their feathers so ruffled up that their bodies looked like animated bundles of cotton wool. Shortly on I next came to the chickadee's nest found April 29. Peeping down into the hole & as soon as my eyes became accustomed to the dim interior light I discerned the ? sitting on the nest her feathers so ruffled that it was impossible to make out the relative portion of the different parts of the body. The bright little black eye did however shine out conspicuous shining when the head was. No amount of tapping or patting on the branch of the shrub could induce her to come out but when I finally lifted of the bark layers from the nest she left our treasure and lighting once by com- menced an angry flight which brought up her mate, and later (?) another individual of the same species. The male came up very