1888
(Dec. 15)
  Returning to the house, I began shooting Horned
Larks. My first four shots were two successful doubles.
the second bird of the second double proved to be
a fine young male O. a. pratincola. I killed it at fully
seventy yards range and directly in front of the house
in a ploughed field where these birds come to feed at
all hours of the day.
  Encouraged by this prize I set off again driving
to the peninsula called the "cow pasture". Here were
some extensive grassy flats. Horned Larks proved to
be numerous and I shot ten in the course of an
hour, all but two being killed flying. The ninth bird
was another pratincola, a beautiful adult male.
  After lunch we drove to the duck boxes where C. had
had holes cut in the ice. In these openings some
wooden decoys were placed and retiring into the
cave-like boxes we sat patiently for upwards of two
hours. Not a Duck came within sight of either of
us during this time. Through my loop-hole I saw only
an occasional distant Gull or a flock of Horned Larks
skimming over the sand hills.
  Just before sunset we left the boxes and went down
the marsh to the beach ridge. Here I flushed a
Meadow Lark from the beach grass and shot it, - a male
in fine plumage. As it had now become chilly we
started back for the house on foot and walked as
far as the bridge before the carriage met and took
us the rest of the way.
  On reaching the house as there was still a
little daylight I started out into the sand hills
to the south hoping to find a Meadow Lark. In a hollow
filled with dense beach grass I flushed two, firing a barrel
at each and killing the first a large fine male.