1887
Sept. 12
MAINE, (L. Umbagog.)
Morning clear, remainder of day cloudy & chilly. Light
rain in early evening.
  Spent most of the morning hunting Woodcock in
the alder covers on Upton Hill behind Morse's, leaving
my horse at Bragg's. Don pointed four birds in
succession and I fired a shot at each of them
bagging two and missing two. He made his first
point on the very edge of the alders. I think
there were only three birds in all although there
may have been four. The ground among these
alders is, in m any places, wet and springy.
There are no ferns, or almost none. The birds seen
to-day all whistled. Saw a Sharp-shinned Hawk
and, on the drive home, a young Melanerpes erythrocephalus.
The latter flew across the road just below Whitney's 
and alighted on a larch in a pasture. I followed
it but it started before I could get within range
and took a long flight towards the woods when I
lost sight of it.
[margin]Woodcock 
shooting on 
Upton Hill[/margin]
[margin]Red headed 
Woodpecker[/margin]
  In P.M. paddled up the Cambridge to the
Snipe grounds taking Don. Beat several of them without
starting anything but finally on the edge of the pond
left by the floating island a Snipe rose within a few
yards of me. I shot at and wounded it and it 
pitched, I think dead, in the grass some 40 rods
away. Searched long for but could not find it.
[margin]Cambridge R. 
marshes[/margin]
[margin]Snipe[/margin]
  Noticing many signs of Ducks about this pond I
hid in the grass & waited for the twilight flight
It was getting dark when with a grand rush of wings
five Wood Ducks came hurtling down and striking
the water with a long swash sat for a moment
[margin]Wood Ducks[/margin]