Lake Umbagog, Maine.
Megalloway River.
1895.                                                                                                                 
Sept.10 
(No 3)
  Our next stop was at Pine Hill Pond where I quickly                 
discovered a bird which I took at the time for a Wood Duck,
nut which afterwards found to be a Black Duck, lying asleep
with its head buried on its feathers on an inclining tree trunk
fully eight feet above the water. As I could do nothing
else in the pond I made a detour & tried to reach the
ebank above the sleeping Duck but the woods at this
epoint proved to be encumbered by a wind fall which made
it impossible to advance further with the necessary absence of
noise. I therefore kept further on & came out at a place
where I could see nothing of my bird. But on the
opposite shore near the spot where I had first approached       
the pond I discovered five Wood Ducks standing in a row
on a log. Back I went out over & approaching easily  
& quickly under excellent cover was soon within thirty yards    
of the log on which the Wood Ducks still sat but all were      
now fast asleep. It seemed like murder to fire into
the brown mass of innocent, unsuspecting birds but our
camp larder was low & I steeled my heart. The first
barrel laid out four and I dropped the fifth as it rose,
scanning all five after two main shots at the wounded ones.
[margin]Pine Hill Pond.[/margin]
[margin]Black Duck
asleep on log[/margin]
[margin]Wood Ducks
I bag all
of a flock
of five with 
two shots.[/margin]
  As I was creeping up to these Wood Ducks I saw the 
Black Duck stretch up his neck & then with crossed wings 
drop plump into the water making as much noise as   
a big stone would have done. My first shots started  
six other Wood Ducks from the opposite side of the pond.  
[margin]Black Duck
on snag.[/margin]
[margin]This should
be added 
to note above[/margin]
  Although it was barely eleven o'clock I did not 
fire another shot during the day. We lunched at
Pulpit Rock & soon afterwards I tried the meadow
just above but found only a Bittern there. It                                     
rose from the grass on a point where I had previously
[margin]Bittern[/margin]