Middlesex Co., Mass [Middlesex County, Massachusetts.
1874
Lay in the swamp till after dark
for ducks but saw none. While sitting
on a tussock watching the deepening
shadows a rail rose some distance
off of its own accord and passed
by me flying in the usual slow
way with dangling legs: I had
supposed they acted differently at
such times but never had a chance to
observe before. Large flocks of Scol.
ferrugineus [Scolecophagus ferrugineus] came in to roost at
dusk. Numbers of ducks killed on the pond Monday
  Oct. 14 [October 14, 1874] Cloudy. Very cold last night ther [thermometer] at
sunrise this morning standing
at 28 [degrees]. Started for the swamps at
8 taking Shot. Beat the upper
meadows first when in company
with a boy which I met I flushed
7 snipe. They were quite wild but
Shot did good work making a 
number of points. On the way 
down beat the brickyard swamps
and put up 3 more snipe. Shot
most wretchedly firing 16 shots &
bagging only 3 snipe & a coot (Fulica [Fulica americana])
My companion killed 2 snipe. Took also
an Am. caudacutus [Ammodramus caudacutus] & male Ag. phoeniceus [Agelaeus phoeniceus]
in fall pl. [plumage] Sparrows of all kinds have
been trebled in numbers since yesterday &
I saw also Anthus Ludovic [Anthus ludovicianus], Cis. stellaris [Cistothorus stellaris] (?)
& Regulus Calendula. Saw a Fulica Am [Fulica americana]
swimming out in deep water on the pond.
D. coronata [Dendroica coronata] very abundant this morning