1890
March 29
Suwanee River, Florida
  Clear and cool with light N.W. wind. A brilliant 
day without a cloud.
  Spent the first part of the morning at work
on birds. At 10.30 started for the same creek
where I spent yesterday. On the way down the
main river I shot a Carolina [Grebe?] that was
swimming among the [bonnets?]  and an alligator 
seven feet long. The latter was lying in the grass
asleep and i got within about 18 yds. of him.
i shot him in the ear with #4 shot from the 
little 20 gauge. He tore madly through the reeds 
in a circle returning to nearly the spot where
he started and settled down apparently dead. I
then shot him again behind the fore shoulder
but he did not move and when I returned
late in the afternoon he proved to be stiff & cold.
Dr.[?] Allen [?] took his head and skin.
  Entering the creek I had paddled only a
little way when a fine Ward's Heron started
from a tree and I dropped him into the 
water. A little further on I started two Green
Herons and killed one of them. I passed
a very tame Yellow-crowned Heron, an immature
mottled bird.
  Turning into the left branch I stopped under
the shade of a water oak and lunched. Then
I continued on and took the second left hand
turn into the narrow Vista creek. Here I started
three Yellow-crowned Herons and shot one of
them as it sat on the branch of a cypress
back from the water.
  Coming out on the broad creek beyond I started