Concord, Massachusetts.
1891.
Oct. 19
Carlisle & Acton. - Early morning cloudy, the sun
out by 2 P.M., the remainder of the day fine.
Wind N.W., moderate. Weather cool but no frost
last night. Temperature rising during the day.
[margin]Woodcock shooting[/margin]
  Melvin came up yesterday evening but drove
on to his sister's in Carlisle. I agreed to meet
him at Braybrooks in Acton at 9 this morning
but failing to find him then drove on to Farrar's
then returned and discovered him standing under
an apple tree waiting for me. He had beaten the
Braybrook ever carefully but had seen only a 
Partridge.
  We drove directly to Farrar's and started in
at the extreme western end beating the hill
back. Started two very wild Partridges and two
Woodcock. Don pointed one of the latter and I
killed it as it rose - a rather hard shot through
dense birches. When the dog went to pick it
up he flushed a second bird from within a
yard of the spot where the first fell. I had
only a glympse at it and missed a snap shot
through a dense oak. We failed to find this
bird again.
  After a long and fruitless hunt over the
remainder of the hill and through Melvin's 
run we lunched on the sunny side of a 
wall and then continued on towards the
"Parker Lot". Don soon found a third Woodcock
among alders & birches near a run. It flitted
a few rods & dropped again. Melvin's dog
soon flushed it and I shot at but missed