1888
(Oct. 30) 
the water for a mile or more flying in a wide bar
or ribbon which was apparently two or three hundred
feet long and ten or twelve feet broad. This ribbon looked
snuff brown in color.
  After lunch we climbed the great hill and
descended [delete]to[/delete] the southern side. Here we found a
ploughed field of perhaps ten acres fairly swarming
with Horned Larks. There must have been at least 200
assembled there scattered over the entire field. Wherever
the eye rested for a moment several could be discerned
creeping like mice along the furrows or crossing these
intervening ridges with here & there a single bird standing
erect and still on a prominent clod or rock his
yellow throat and black cravat conspicuous in the strong
light. After we had fired a few shots at them they
all left this field and scattered over the grassy
hill tops where we followed them about for two
or three hours, killing about a dozen each. Most
of my shots were at single birds, flying, and
I missed very few. After returning to the boat I
added eight more Larks to my bag. These were
killed on the flat near the landing. To this place
they came in great numbers alighting on the
beds of coarse pebbles where it was most difficult
to see them. Chadbourne killed a pair & I another
single bird on a strip of salt marsh on the way
up river. We reached town about dark (5 P. M.).
  Besides the birds above mentioned we saw a
few crows (not above a dozen) but no Hawks or Owls.
I had expected Snow Buntings but not one was
either seen or heard.