or more shots, several of them double reports, in this direction
during the preceeding half hour. I had just passed the first
hedge of alders and was skirting some low willows (not one
3 ft. high) bordering the large meadow beyond when a Snipe
rose in the open about 80 yds. off and flying only a few rods
dropped among the thickest of these willows. A moment later
another sprang from a cove that penetrated the copse near where
I stood and I knocked him over easily enough as he topped
a bush within 30 yds. of me. Without pausing to look for him
I hurried to the spot where I had marked down the first
bird. As I expected, he had run some distance but he rose
finally within close range and I riddled him by a snap
shot as he was dipping down behind a thick willow. Both
birds found to be very fat and heavy. The ground for many
rods on every side was thickly bored and "chalked" by them.
The rest of this meadow proved a blank and I did not go
beyond it as I heard more shooting on the north side of the
Man. Cen. R.R. and concluded that that ground had been pretty
thoroughly hunted, I did not see the sportsman, however.
  Returning I found six or seven more Grackles where I shot the
first pair & fired at another through thick bush without effect.
I do not remember to have seen them in this swamp in former
years and do not understand the reason for their presence there to-day.
  Finished my tramp by sauntering slowly through the old Brickyard
Swamp & trying to identify some of its old landmarks. Nearly half of
its former area has been scooped out by the brick makers; the remaining
half has been nearly drained, only a little water remaining in the
ponds and ditches. Nevertheless I saw at least a dozen Red-wings
there as well as Robins and Swamp Sparrows. The musk rats
have a large house in the pond where I used to shoot Coots.
  The meadows were everywhere green & the grass in places 6 in.
high. The bushes and many of the maples were covered with small
leaves and the willows were in full bloom. The general appearance of
the swamp was that of about May 10th in average seasons. Yet I saw only
early birds. in fact the vegetation is everywhere at least ten days ahead
[margin]of the garden; a cherry tree in our garden showed a few blossom yesterday
and to-day its lower half is white with them. I heard and saw
three or four Tachycineta bicolor on the meadows to-day[/margin]