1888
Dec. 16
Great Island, Hyannis, Massachusetts.
Clear and warm with strong S. wind. Later in the P.M
the wind hauled into the S.E. the sky clouded over and the
day closed chilly, gloomy and threatening a storm to-morrow.
  Spent most of the morning hunting Horned Larks
using a Scott 20g. gun which C. has from Read's on
trial. In the fields near the house I got eight or
ten shots beginning rather badly with serial misses.
In the "cow pasture" I found only one flock of birds
at which I shot seven or eight times killing nearly
every shot and making one double. In all I took
about twelve birds, all typical O. alpestris. I gave them
all to Cory.
  Returning C. joined me and we drove down to the deer
forest through which we took another long and very
interesting walk starting many deer (all does) but
being nothing to shoot at. The foxes have played
havoc with the small game in the park and there
are but few Pheasants or White Hares left. We saw
none of either.
  At 11 a.m. C. went back to the house while I crossed
the sand dunes to the beach near the boat landing
where I lay for an hour or more concealed behind
a pile of boards hoping for a shot at a Gull. There
were many L[arus] argentatus beating up and down along
the line of breakers within easy shot of the shore but
all of them kept off out of my range as they passed my
ambush. How they discovered any presence I am at
a loss to imagine for I was perfectly concealed.
Six or seven crows came along finally beating the
beach like Harriers. I had a good double shot at
them but missed my first bird. The other fell into