1891
March 31
(No,2)
 Mass. 
Waltham.
,.  an eddy on the spot where they spray after
  the birds had passed out of sight.  There was also a
  marked agitation of the dry leaves along the path
  of their flight doubtless caused by the powerful wing
  strokes.
    After [?]visiting all the thickets and pieces of woods
  in my way. I found myself on the woodcock ground
  nearly two hours ahead of time. I waited awhile
  under the lee of a great boulder but the East wind
  soon found me out and I was forced to move on
  in order to keep warm. The tedium of waiting was
  relieved, however, by several interesting sights or sounds.
  Thus at one time I heard Wild Geese honking and
  looking up discovered a flock of 26 of these imposing
  birds passing northward, at a great height above the
  earth.  A flock of fourteen Robins also attracted
  my attention by alighting in clusters in the top of
  an oak. They were silent and shy and evidently
  "winter" birds. A black and tan shepherd dog hunting
  on his own account, perhaps for rabbits, passed
  within 30 yds.[yards] of me directly to leeward without
  discovering or apparently suspecting any presence though
  he stopped twice and sniffed the air.
    Soon after sunset I took my stand where ?Faspor
  and I posted ourselves last evening and with watch,
  note-book, and pencil laid out ready to my hand
  awaited the appearance of the Woodcock. At 6.19,
  just ten minutes after the sunset ?gun, I heard the
  whistle of his wings as he flew from the cover into
  the pasture. He sang only twice but I made some
  very successful observations on both flights.  Took the
  8 O,clock train for home via Waltham [and] Watertown [?]rand R.R. [Rail Road]