Quail shooting.
1891.
Nov. 7
(No. 3)
Concord, Massachusetts.
Concord, Acton & Carlisle. - have somehow concealed
themselves from the dog on the first occasion but
it also occurred to me that perhaps the place
where the bevy is originally started is regarded by
the scattered birds as a place of rende[z]vous. At
all events it is by no means uncommon to hear 
one or more birds whistling there after the
spot has been thoroughly beaten, perhaps, by the dogs.
[margin]Quail return to spot where bevy is first started?[/margin]
  When the three Quail last mentioned rose as
they did all together upon my stepping in ahead
of the dog, I made another most disgraceful
miss with both barrels although I had a
perfectly open and very easy shot.
  Somewhat disgusted I left the place and spent
upwards of two hours beating Wadleigh's run and
the Parker lot without seeing anything save a rabbit.
I then returned and began hunting for the Quail
again. Don finally struck their scent and after
roading it up a long alder run, across a brush grown
pasture, and over a rocky knoll found his birds at
last among some tall oaks on the edge of a
meadow. They rose rather wild and I fired only
one shot, dropping my bird. I then followed
the survivors and killed another which Don
pointed among ground junipers on a hillside.
This bevy of Quail is undoubtedly the same as
that from which I killed five birds on the 5th.
There are about seven left.
  I saw very few small birds to-day. Even
Tree Sparrows were scarce. A very few Robins still
left. A cricket chirping and a Hyla pickeringii calling.