25
Middlesex Co., Mass. [Middlesex County, Massachusetts]
1874.
mood and repeatedly chased one
another about lashing the water with
their wings. I found their crops literally
crammed with large "hog" acorns which
when the bird was shaken produced 
a rattling sound audible at some
distance. Here I also saw a water beetle
of the largest size, clinging to the tops
of some swamp grasses and endeavoring 
vainly to take wing. I think this 
species is the author of many of the
large ripples that one sees on the
surface of ponds of a calm evening.
Total bag woodcock 2 - wood duck 2
  Oct. 23 [October 23, 1874] Clear and cool with E. [East] wind. Took the
first train to Concord where I met Melvin
at the depot, by appointment. Drove up
to Acton where we tied and commenced
our beat. By noon we had bagged
3 cock 2 grouse & 1 quail. Then drove back
to town and down to the foot of the
great meadows where we started 3 snipe
2 of which were shot. Thence we proceed-
ed to the corner of the Virginia road where
M. [Melvin] started a bevy of 8 quail which occupied
our attention till dark. M's bag was 2
grouse 1 cock 1 snipe & 1 quail. Mine
1 grouse, 2 cock, 2 quail & 1 snipe. Thus
for the first time I killed all the Mass. [Massachusetts]
game birds in one day. Four woodcock
were started in all and every bird
was of very small size. The bevy of
quail found in Acton was marked