Concord, Mass
1893  
Sept. 2                                                                        .
  Cloudy in the morning, the afternoon clear with high
W. wind
  Down river at 2 P.M. sailing to Balls' Hill where
I landed and walked for an hour in the woods
seeing nothing of much interest.
  At frequent intervals the reports of guns came down                       
on the wind, from the upper part of Great Meadows
at first, then nearer and nearer, until at length
from men and pointer dog, appeared on the strip
of meadow opposite the cabin. I watched them for
some time through my glass, and became satisfied
that they were shooting Wilsons' Snipe. In all they
fired at least twelve of fifteen shot times.
[margin]Snipe shooting[/margin]
  Three species of birds which are usually common in                      
concord up to this date or later have been apparently
wholly absent this year for the past month or more.
They are the Cow-bird and the two Cuckoos.
[margin]Absence of
Cow-bird & 
Cuckoos[/margin[