At New Bedford.

December 9. 

At New Bedford. 

See a song sparrow and a pigeon woodpecker. Dr. Bryant tells of the latter picking holes in blinds, and also in his barn roof and sides in order to get into it; holes in the window sashes or casings as if a nail had been driven into them. 

Asked a sailor at the wharf how he distinguished a whaler. He said by the “davits,” large upright timbers with sheaves curving over the sides to hold up the boats (a merchantman has only a few and small at the stern); also by the place for the man to stand at masthead (crosstrees, I should say they were) and look out for whales, which you do not see on a merchant-ship; i. e., the crosstrees of the latter are very slight . . .

H. D. Thoreau, Journal, December 9, 1858

See a song sparrow.  See January 15, 1857 ("I saw, to my surprise, that it must be a song sparrow, . . taken refuge in this shed”); January 28, 1857("Am again surprised to see a song sparrow sitting for hours on our wood-pile in the yard.”). Also January 22, 1857 ("Minott tells me that Sam Barrett told him once when he went to mill that a song sparrow took up its quarters in his grist-mill and stayed there all winter.”) See also A Book of Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, the Song Sparrow (Fringilla melodia)

Asked a sailor at the wharf. See December 25, 1854 (“At New Bedford see casks of oil covered with seaweed to prevent fire. The weed holds moisture. Town not lively; whalers abroad at this season.”)