Concord, Mass.
1896
October 24
  It rained heavily all last night and when I started
down river this morning the wind was east and the
sky lowering & threatening but before I reached
Ball's Hill the clouds broke and the sun came out
and the remainder of the day was clear and warm
with a light west wind.
  When near "the tent" I was surprised to hear the
call of a Black-bellied Plover repeated a dozen times
or more. As nearly as I could judge the bird was
flying about over the Great Meadows and either
some distance off or at a considerable height.
I have never heard this Plover near Concord before.
On entering the long straight reach just below
Hunt's Pond I discovered a drake Wood Duck
(doubtless the same seen last night) swimming near
the middle of the river. He saw me and acted
as if half-disposed to rise but I wound the
canoe back behind some bushes without actually
starting him. It was then an easy matter to
land and approach him under cover of the
dense thickets which line the banks at this
point but just as I was nearly within range
he swam across the river and began feeding along
the opposite marshy shore. I lay watching him
for several minutes until at length the lame
gunman, Haggerty, who was beating the meadow
behind me fired both barrels at a Snipe. The
reports started my wood drake but instead
of making off, as I expected, he came directly
towards me and after a short flight alighted