1886
Sept. 24
Concord, Massachusetts.
The most perfect day of the month thus far, cloudless,
the sunshine strong and mellow but not uncomfortable,
just a faint W. breeze at times, at others dead calm.
  Off down river in the canoe at 10 a.m.
Passed a firm adult Buteo lineatus sitting in the Y. tree
not seeing him until too late to put in heavy shot
and hoping to do this out of sight around the turn
below and paddle back, but he flew just after
I had passed out of range. Afterwards saw another
at Ball's Hill, also an adult.
[margin]Down river[/margin]
  Just opposite Dakin's Hill saw three Black Ducks
alight in a pond-hole in the meadow. Stalked them
easily enough for them was a broad finger of uncut
grass around the margin but after searching every
inch of water in vain I decided they must have 
flower and rose erect when all them jumped at 
once from a cluster of pickerel weed about 40 yds.
off. I missed (or failed to kill) with my first 
barrel but doubled up the tail bird storm dead
with my second. The reports started a flock of 
severe strange-looking Ducks from the river. They
were as large as Black Ducks apparently but of
a light gray color. I think they were Mallards,
or possibly Pintails although they looked much
too large for the latter. They flew out of sight
following up the river.
  I went back as far as Hunt's Pond in search
of them but without finding them. While on there
at the pond I saw a Marsh Hawk sealing about
several hundred yards away and circling behind
a stone wall called it by screeping. It came