![Transcription Center logo](/themes/custom/tc_theme/assets/image/logo.png)
This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.
[[left page]] The song of this bird consists (at this season) of several rather loud hard notes — the first two or three being the clearest & most musical & the others rather harsh — In the first part of the song there is a slight resemblance to the lay of the common song sparrow. The song of [[underline]] insignis [[/underline]] is shorter than of [[underline]] melodia [[/underline]]. The Aleutian wren was also quite common about the head of the bays on the grassy flats & in fact wherever a flat area near the sea level covered with luxuriant grasses [[&? or &c for etc?]] afforded them their favorite shelter - Here I [[strikethrough]] inf [[/strikethough]] invariably found a pair or two; always two at a time as if permenantly mated - no song or other note heard from them. About the hills a few yg. Bald [[right page]] Eagles were seen and the day we came into the harbor from the Seal Is - several Duck Hawks were seen [[strikethrough]] ju [[/strikethrough]] as we drew near the islands and several of them came circling close about the vessel & I had a good view of them with the glasses & found them all to be of the very dark [[underline]] nigrescens [[/underline]] type. While here at Unalaska others of the same variety were seen from time to time. In the bays waterfowl were very scarce a few murres - sea parrots [[strikethrough]] (cirhatta?) [[/strikethrough]] (corniculata) and marbled Guillemots & a few Pigeon Guillemots Now & then a savanna sparrow was seen but the swallows had long ago sought more Southern haunts. The vegetation is still bright green except where ripening it has a shade of russet or yellow - no frosts
Transcription Notes:
GG: lots of bird species names: sparrow species Melospiza insignis & M. melodia, Aleutian wren, young bald eagle, duck hawk (nigrescens type)= peregrine falcon (but old type name?), waterfowl, murres, sea parrot = puffin (he decided which of 2 species of Fratercula), guillemot, savannah sparrow, and swallows