Middlesex Co., Mass. [Middlesex County, Massachusetts]
1874 Oct. 7- 1874 [October 7, 1874]
of the rail that we got at this season
are flight birds from the N. [north] as their
numbers vary greatly on different days
but under that hypothesis it is not a
little singular that I have never seen
them migrating while lying for ducks
in the dusk of the evening when all
the other nocturnal birds are moving
about. Last night I saw 5 Nyc. Gardenii [Nyctiardea gardeni]
flying over our place. I have not seen
one in the swamps for a week or
more. In a letter from my friend
Melvin I am informed that he
flushed 8 cock at Concord on the
5th & the same number the day
previous. I secured a very fine fall
specimen of Cistothorus palustris this
morning: it was very tame & its chatter
was much like that of T. aedon [Troglodytes aedon]. D. striata [Dendroica striata]
is getting scarce and Zon. albicollis [Zonotrichia albicollis]
abundant. Mel. palustris [Melospiza palustris] still swarms
in the swamps. I have not seen a
single Rallus Vir. [Rallus virginianus] this fall: they
must leave us as a rule very early in
Sept. P. Carolina [Porzana carolina] when pursued by
a dog swims without hesitation over
the deepest ditches & it is at times very
difficult to flush.
Oct. 8 [October 8, 1874] Cloudy with high E. [east] wind. Started for the
swamps at 8 in company with Messrs
Stone & Barstow, taking Shot. In the
Brickyard swamp I bagged three (3) rail & 1
snipe: also started a bittern (B. lentig. [Botaurus lentiginosus]) which