Chatham, Mass. [Chatham, Massachusetts]
Immense bed of coots. Som. mollissima [Somateria mollissima]
Sterna hirundo, S. frenata [Sterna frenata] abdnt. [abundant] Cal. arenaria [Calidris arenaria], S. interpres [Strepsilas interpres]
1876.
(May 16) [May 16, 1876] at our approach nearly all together, the
air seemed fairly full of them. They
separated up as the [they] went off into bunches
and before many minutes began to
return when in an incredibly short time
another large bed would be formed.
I did not hear one of them utter a
sound. The three species were pretty 
evenly represented, O. [Oidemia perspicillata] being
perhaps a little the scarcer. Saw also
among the coots a flock of 8 Somateria 
mollissima among them several fine 
drakes. Saw a number of loons, all apparently
C. Torquatus [Colymbus torquatus] and heard one "hollering".
On our way back found the inner
shore of the point literally alive
with shore birds, principally C. arenaria [Calidris arenaria]
and Strepsilas interpres. Also on a sand
spit adjoining a large number of
S. frenata [Sterna frenata]. Tried hard to land but
the tide was running out and our
boatman refused to beach the deep
draught sail boat fearing that we might
have to stay out all night if we
got fairly aground so we had to sail
off from the tantalizing sight. Running
up the bay I shot a pair of Sterna
hirundo that were sitting on the
poles of some weirs. These are the first
that I have seen. Arriving at Hardings
landing before sunset we spent an
hour or more shooting on a dry gravelly
"sink" behind the ridge killing a lot of
peeps and ring necks. The birds came 
in here to spend the night. Also shot a
[male] A. melodus [Aegialitis melodus] that was flying with ring necks.