Middlesex Co., Mass. [Middlesex County, Massachusetts]
Nyctale Acadica  
Oct. 30- 1874 [October 30, 1874]
1874.
Oct. 29 [October 29, 1874] Clear and warm with strong S. [south] wind.
Met J.C. Melvin [James C. Melvin] at C. Carter's [Charlie Carter] by appointment
and started for Belmont at 2 P.M. 
Spent the whole afternoon hunting
the "runs" behind Cotton's for quail,
without seeing a feather of any kind.
Left M. [James C. Melvin] at Belmont where he took the
train for Concord. 
  Oct. 30 [October 30, 1874] Clear and cool with N.W. [Northwest] wind. Off
after breakfast with C. Carter who furnished
the team which we left on Mill St. Spent
the whole day beating for quail with
but poor success. In the swamp behind
Chenery's we flushed two grouse one of
which I bagged after firing three shots
at her. Next we hunted all the runs
behind Cottons without moving
anything except two grouse. From
there we struck on into a vast
tract of woodland behind Rice's which
I never visited before. In this place
I shot a fine [female] Nyctale Acadica which
started from a low bush within a yard
of my head and flying a few rods
lit in the top of a high leafless birch tree.
After watching it a few moments I
walked back a few paces to be sure
of getting a good specimen and fired
but to my great disgust it went off
unhurt. Marking carefully the direction
I followed and again it started from
a low bush under which I was
passing and lit in a birch top as