Middlesex Co., Mass. [Middlesex County, Massachusetts]
1874
Dec. 3 [December 3, 1874] bird in the bevy, escaping. I also
started two grouse and bagged one of
them. Were in the field only two hours
and a half and had a most pleasant time.
W.B. [William Brewster] 5 (-1/2) quail 1 grouse. C.J.M. [Charles Johnson Maynard] 2 (+1/2) quail.
  Dec. 5 [December 5, 1874] Alternately cloudy and clear. Very cold but with
scarcely any wind. Rose early and had
a light breakfast at 6. Got off a little
before 7 with R. Nesbitt [Robert B. Nesbitt] and drove up
to Mr. Stearns in Waltham where we
put up the horse for the day. Began our
beat to the Westward of Sherman's pond
then inclining to the N. [North] hunted up
around the Theodore Parker place and
down through a succession of runs to
Stearn's. Had a most glorious days sport
for though our bags were moderate we
started lots of birds & the dogs worked well,
the main requisitions for a good time.
Found in all, three small bevies of quail,
and 17 grouse. The latter were nearly all
found in the runs and in the majority
of cases lay nearly as well as quail so that
with "Shot's" steady working & fine nose we
got a number of shots over steady points.
Old Major (N's setter) also worked finely and
is a noble looking dog in the field. We both
shot rather poorly especially at the grouse.
In one place N. [Nesbitt] got five consecutive
points on grouse in one little open meadow
where the birds lay close among the tussocks.
The quail had evidently been hunted a
great deal and flew farther than I ever