1889
Feb. 21
Banana River, Florida.
A.M. clearing with frequent showers. P.M. clear & hot.
  Starting at 9 a.m. C. & I both took stands on the
point where I shot yesterday. I going to-day
about 300 yards to the eastward. Here I remained
all day. I saw more Ducks than on any day
thus far but they would not decoy well and
most of them flew high or well out. I had
perhaps twenty possible shots and bagged twelve
birds, eight of them Scaups (chiefly the Greater S[caup])
two Shovellers, one Hooded Merganser and one
fine adult male Gadwall., the latter is the first
that I have ever killed. It was a high
bird and came over me rather high. The
Hooded Merganser swam in with some Coots &
I shot it on the water.
  Just before shooting the Gadwall, I killed
another bird new to me, a fine adult female
Brown Pelican. It came flying past my stand
low down holding its bills pointing down like
a Woodcock. It flew about 200 yds. and
dropped dead sending the spray several feet
high when it struck.
  While skinning this Pelican in the boat I
had a good shot at another but my gun
was out of reach. By the time I got it
the bird was beyond range as were also a
pair of Shovellers which had been sitting
among the decoys and which rose during
the confusion.
  Late in the afternoon an extraordinary
flight of Ducks began and lasted as long