Gallinago Wilsonii, Say. fuscus [Sayornis fuscus] et Ceryle alcyon
Middlesex Co., Mass. [Middlesex County, Massachusetts]
1875. April 2nd - 1875
April 2 [April 2, 1875] our long looked for friend the Wilson
snipe. Marking it down behind "Phil.
Dorothy's" I started for the spot but
ere I got with 200 yds it was off
again & out of sight. Shortly after
I got up two more near the same
place both rising out of range & going
off unshot at, though I had just
walked by within 15 ft. of where one
of them had been lying. Though
the sight of these familiar favorites
was most welcome I am entirely at
a loss to account for their appearance
so early in the season. Not the most
sheltered spring hole is as yet fairly
thawed out, the meadow patches where
they lay were as hard as rocks, the
hylas have not yet commenced their 
merry peeping, the bluebirds have been
with us scarce a week and in short not
a single token has Nature as yet given
that she was ready for their presence. 
May they not pay dearly for their
rashness. Among the tussocks where
the second bird rose I found a few
feathers and droppings but they were
quite fresh and I have every reason
to believe that all three had just
dropped in to this old haunt of theirs.
Continuing my walk up as far as
the Jim swamp what was my
surprise - nay consternation, to find
this [delete]old[/delete] favorite resort of mine nearly
unrecognizable, completely obliterated
in fact. For the woodchoppers had