1888
April 24
Cloudy and cold with occasional flurries of snow. Wind N[orth].
  To the Fresh Pond swamps at 9 a.m. spending the
forenoon. Used my double 22-32 pistol for the first time &
killed sixteen birds with it. Mostly Swamp & Tree Sparrows.
Upon first entering the swamp heard a Ruby-crowned
Kinglet singing & chattering. He was so restless & active that
I could not get a shot at or even overtake him but
I afterwards killed a male, probably the same bird, in the north
part of the swamp.
  Within a few rods of the spot where I killed the pair 
of Rails on the 18th, in fact in the very next thicket, I
found another pair to-day. I shot the male easily enough
although he dodged cunningly behind a cluster of stems
moving as I  moved so as to keep his body covered but
peeping out at me from time to time. The female was shyer &
eluded me by running out into the grass & taking wing.
In one of the dryer of those thickets I found two Fox
Sparrows scratching among the leaves making as much
noise as a brace of chipmunks. There were also a few
Swamp Sparrows in this swamp.
[margin]Rollus ingin[/margin]
  Kept around the maple swamp without entering
it and then turned homeward through the brickyard
swamp. This tangled, now nearly dry and weed grown
placed was to-day, as on the 18th, fairly alive with
Sparrows chiefly Tree and Swamp with a few Song. I
followed them about for an hour or more.
  In neither swamp did I see a Black-bird or Swallow of
any kind. Have they quite deserted this old time
haunt or is it too early yet?
  Taking a short cut through the Stimpson orchard
I was surprised to hear a Pine warbler singing near me