Quail shooting - Last day of the
season
MASS. (Middlesex Co.) [Middlesex County, Massachusetts]
Dec. 14 - 1875
Dec. 14 [December 14, 1875] Clear and cold with very high N.W. [Northwest] wind.
Rose rather early and getting breakfast started 
off at about 8 in the express wagon, with
Robert Nesbitt, Charles driving us. Being
put down at the foot of the hill in
Waverley, near Stearn's, we commenced
our beat towards the N. [North]. On the hill
side I made a very hard snap shot at
a rabbit which bounced out from
among some barberry bushes. After
this we kept along the Eastern slope
of the hill nearly over to Arlington
village which point we reached by
1 P.M. without having fired a shot
or started either fur or feather of any
description. Sitting down in a sunny
place lunch was soon disposed of 
and we started again. Soon after this
I shot a very fine adult [male] (red) Pinicola
enucleator which was in company
with three or four in im pl. [immature plumage]. Turning
now back toward home we struck
into the upper end of the Cotton runs
and beat down through them starting
three grouse and a rabbit. The first
bird I trod out literally from under
my feet in an alder run, and killed
easily enough; the next rose within
a few yards of me but gave me a 
rather harder shot and I missed
both barrels. The third Robert [Robert Nesbitt] fired
at and missed, while the rabbit
I shot at at long range and missed.
In the lower end of the run we met
an acquaintance of N's [Robert Nesbitt] one Charles