1888
Dec. 14
Great Island, Hyannis, Massachusetts.
Clear and very cold. Ther 6[degrees] at sunrise (Cambridge), 12[degrees]
at sunset (Great Island). Wind N. W., very strong all day.
  Started for Great Island at 8.15 with Mr. & Mrs. Cory.
Reached Hyannis about 11 A. M. and drove over to the
island at once. When near the pond below the house
came on a Killdeer Plover by the roadside. It was
sitting still with its head drawn in and looked, as it
doubtless felt, half frozen. Saw also three Meadow Larks.
  After lunch started out in search of Plover. It was
bitterly cold with the creeks, marshes and even most of
the bay north of the island, frozen. The sand dunes also
were stiff with frost and as hard as pavement. With
the cutting wind, the broad areas of white shining ice,
and the Gulls beating along the shores the scene was
as wintry as possible and suggestion of Snow Buntings &
Snow Owls rather than of Killdeer. Nevertheless we quickly
came upon five of the latter feeding on the sheltered side
of a hill in a pasture. They rose very wild but turned
and scaled over C. who fired two shots and brought
down one bird. At the report of his gun a flock of
fully fifty Killdeer rose from a hollow and skimmed off
close to the ground flying in a compact bunch like
Tringae. Shortly afterwards I saw seven more flitting about
in a salt marsh where I could not get at them as
a tidal creek intervened.
  As I was returning to Cory a single Killdeer came in
over the hills and swept down past him. He shot it
and gave me the specimen.
  Shortly after this Cory returned to the house but I
kept on. Shortly after sunset I flushed a pair of
Killdeer from a bit of ploughed land in a hollow. They