1889
Feb. 27
Enterprise, Florida
Early morning cloudy. Rest of day clear with cold
N.E. wind.
  Started up the [?] at 9 a.m.with Oliver Newton
as boatman my intention being to spend the day
collecting water birds etc. Reaching the inlet we 
began to paddle, or rather row slowly, through the
extension beds of cane and bonnets that border
the river on both sides. My first shot was into 
a flock of Red winged Black birds, all ♀♀, of which 
I killed six. Shortly after this I killed a large
water mocassin measuring about five feet. We took
it at first for an alligator as it lay on a bed
of "trash" its head raised nearly two feet above the 
surface. Oliver came near running the boat on
it & thinks it would have struck him over
the gunnel.
  Florida Gallinules were numerous and I shot three.
I also killed an ardea ludoviciana in curious
immature plumage. It was standing erect & 
still on some bonnets about 60 yds off as we
rounded a bed of cane.
  We lunched at an orange grove on the west 
bank. As we ran the boat in I shot a fine
adult A.[?] that was stalking along the 
shoe. Skinned my birds under an orange tree
in which an adult [male] Trochilus colubris was 
humming about the opening flowers. Also
saw a Parula & heard a Vireo solitarius singing.
Towhees and Hermit Thrushes calling in the scrub.
Coots just outside the fringe of bush making a
noise as of persons carousing in low tones. The