1892
Sept. 21
Concord, Massachusetts.
Mass. 
Concord. A duplicate of yesterday but with more wind,
a steady light breeze from the W[est].
  George brought my pointer Don from Lincoln (Ghent's) 
this morning and at 11 a.m. I started down river
with C. in my Rushton boat taking the dog & my gun
also.
  We landed at the Holt & after eating lunch I left C.
to sit in the shade while I tried the meadows. For
more than an hour I tramped through mud & water
without starting anything save a Short-billed Marsh Wren
& a few Savanna Sparrows. Nor did I find any signs of
Snipe although the meadows were in perfect condition
& last night was very cool (34 degrees at minimum). But after
I had returned to C. the dog found & flushed a Snipe
on a strip of meadows within 100 yards of where we
stood. The bird alighted again after circling high a few
times. I went to the spot and flushed three Snipe
all at once. They gave me a perfectly fine double
shot but I missed with both barrels. All three birds
flew so far that I did not mark any of them down.
  Marsh Hawks were very numerous. We saw at least four,
two adults & two brown birds. Their flight was very
like a Gull's as they beat about close on the grass. One
kept poising then dropping. It was catching small frogs.
It usually missed at the first stroke & then hopped clumsily
after the frog using its wings much as a wounded bird
will do. I saw it catch & eat several frogs. It often carried
the frog several yards holding it in one foot as it flew.
The feet were always carried stretched out behind
[margin]Short-billed Marsh Wren[/margin]
[margin]Wilson's Snipe[/margin]
[margin]Marsh Hawks[/margin]