Concord, Massachusetts.
1894
Oct. 11 to
Nov. 21
(No 15)
Resumé of Field Observations.
crow as it passed me within about 150 yards keeping
straight across the meadows towards the south-west. Its
flight was easy, graceful and buoyant - quite unlike the
firm, somewhat heavy fight of our Buteos and much more
like the flight of the Marsh Hawk when that bird is
making directly across country from some [delete]feeding[/delete] distant
hunting ground. The wing beats were slow and listless
and alternated with short periods of scaling. At each
upward stroke of the wings their white under surfaces were
conspicuously displayed and showed in strong contrast
to the deep black of the rest of the plumage. This is the
only black Rough-leg which I remember to have ever seen
on the Concord meadows.
  On October 26th I started five Carolina Doves from a weed
patch in the Mason field north of Bensen's and on Nov. 20th
I found a solitary bird in the same place - the latest
date, if I remember rightly, which I have ever noted.
  I have seen no Quail this autumn but reliable sportsmen
have told me of a large bevy that frequents the fields
oposite Fairhaven Cliffs in Concord and of two other bevies
which have been started in Carlisle.
  Partridges were seen through September and October,
so scarce, indeed, that Melvin on October 20th hunted
all day in Carlisle with a good dog without starting a
single bird. Early in November they began to increase in numbers
rapidly and by the end of that month they became fully
as numerous as they were last year. Arthur Robbins