Middlesex Co., Mass. [Middlesex County, Massachusetts]
1874 Dec. 1- 1874
Dec. 1 [December 1, 1974] Clear and still but very cold. Wind out
to the East at sunset and a slight 
fall of snow in the evening. Off after
breakfast driving up to the Waverley
mill pond where I tied my horse.
Spent the forenoon poking about among
the cedar woods in the vicinity but 
had very poor luck getting only
2 birds, one an im. [immature] grosbeak & a [female] Picus
pubescens for mounting. Could have
shot numbers of the former but was
looking for the adults and these I 
could not find. Heard Curv. Am [Curvirostra americana]
and saw three or four Turdus mig [Turdus migratorius]
also a large flock of Juncos and
literally swarms of Regulus satrapa.
Started a grouse off the wall as I
was driving home through Prospect St.
  Dec. 3 [December 3, 1874] Clear and mild. Started off after breakfast
taking old Dart, and drove up to Maynards
where I tied my horse and started out with 
M. to hunt up a bevy of quail which he
had seen on the farm. The old dog soon
struck their trail & "roaded" them out
into an open bog meadow where he
finally pulled up stiff among some
cranberry vines. We both got into position
and as the birds rose, each made a 
clean double securing all four birds. Three
of those remaining lit in the open meadow
after passing through [?] oaks and two
of these with another flushed in the oaks
were soon added to the bag only one