1891
Oct. 8
(No 2)
Mass.
Saugus & Revere Marshes. - were feeding in a salt pond.
There was also a Ring-neck Plover flying about
high in air, whistling.
  Near the middle of the Saugus Marsh lies a tract
of boggy, treacherous ground where the grass is never cut.
It was nearly to our shoulders and very dense in places.
Here Faxon found Sharp-tailed Sparrows in great numbers
last year at this date and it was in quest of
them that we made our visit to-day. For a long
time, however, we searched in vain, wading laboriously
through the matted grass, knee deep at times in
mud and water, and ever in imminent danger of
falling into one of the innumerable concealed pools
and mud holes with which the place abounded. It
was exceedingly hard work, especially as there seemed
at first no prospect of any substantial reward. But
at length near the mouth of a creek which
emptied into the main river I suddenly came
upon seven or eight Sharp-tails sitting in the 
tall grass over the water. Most of them few
at once but I succeeded in shooting one
which lingered a moment too long and was
much pleased when Faxon, who was on the
further side of the ditch where it fell, picked
it up and called out that it was a typical
Nelson's Sparrow, the first that I have ever
killed.
  We followed up the others closely driving
them into the heart of the morass just
described and killing two more one of
which proved to be a second typical Nelson's