1889
Dec. 6
Marston's Mills, Mass.
  A fair, rather warm day with frequent intervals of sunshine
alternating with brief periods of cloudiness.
  Starting at about 9 A. M. I walked down the road to the
Goodspeed opening, thence around it through a succession of
weed fields as far as the "shop", and back through the
woods bordering the hills along the river.
  "Dandy" worked better than heretofore but found no scent
(except in one place where he "drew" for fifty yards or more
along the edge of some oak & pine scrub) until we reached
the big woods. Here, in an opening surrounded by young pines,
he made a doubtful kind of point &, before I could get
to him, moved on flushing a Grouse from among the
stems of a cluster of scrub oaks. He then sat down looking
a little frightened & bewildered. As I approached to more
Grouse flew from an adjoining cluster of oaks and I
find a long shot at one of them but missed. I then encouraged
the puppy to investigate the spot whence they started
and as soon as he approached it closely he made a
really animated and staunch point.
  Following the Grouse into some dense scrub I found that
my pup had suddenly changed from a blundering, ignorant
novice into an earnest and very cautious hunter. He roaded
two birds long distances, drawing and pointing beautifully
at frequent intervals. One he failed to overtake but the other
got up unexpectedly among some thick young oaks giving
me and began beating the ground with its wings in its
death struggle. The dog then worked up to it cautiously
and pointed dead very handsomely. I photographed him
on the spot lying by the side of his first bird in a
little opening where the sunlight streamed in on the