Ipswich, Mass. [Ipswich, Massachusetts]
1874
Nov. 20 [November 20, 1874] giving it both barrels of dust shot
wounded it slightly in the wing. It
flew perhaps 50 yds. [yards] and lit. Approaching
the place I came suddenly upon it
crouched among the beach grass and
as it saw me it turned its head
and opened its bill menacingly. I
stood for several minutes admiring
the beauty if its rich plumage when
P. [Henry A. Purdie] came up and struck a blow at
its head with his ramrod but
missed when it rose with some
difficulty and I again fired both
barrels missing clean this time.
It however went but a short
distance and again lit and flushing
it once more I killed it. It is
decidedly the finest specimen that
I have seen. Saw three large flocks
of Bernicla Can. [Bernicla canadensis], and several hundred
coots, species unrecognized. At 1 the
storm which had threatened all this
morning broke, upon us and we
started for Town in a pouring rain and
against a strong tide. Reached Cambridge
by 7 P.M. thoroughly soaked. One
of the princeps [Passerculus princeps] which I have skinned
had the crop filled entirely with large
black spiders ([diagram]) C.I. Goodale started
six snipe today at Abington Mass. [Abington, Massachusetts]
and killed three of them: two
which I saw in the flesh were
very large birds and quite fat.
Melvin started 6 cock on the 8th
and 1 on the 10th inst. the last I have heard of