MASS. (Middlesex Co.) [Middlesex County, Massachusetts] Quail shooting Winter scene
Flock of Collurio borealis
1876.
(Nov. 28 [November 28, 1876]) more fine. Every twig, every blade grass even, was delicately draped
with the powdery substance and [delete]every blade
of grass even[/delete] the slight wind which had arisen
caused the trees to wave to & fro gently
throwing flickering shadows everywhere on the
spotless surface beneath. The woods were
rich with this wintry foliage but not luxuriant
& the effect was more that of the first
unfolding of the leaves in May than of the
heavy masses of [delete]foliage[/delete] frondage which
almost encumber the landscape in 
July. As we forced our way through the
thickets the snow shook down upon
us in showers, loading our hat rims &
shoulders & sifting down our backs. 
Thus we fairly earnt our enjoyment.
Upon first striking the quail ground
Warren started a covey of 8 birds from
an open field and these were all that we
found during the day. I fired three shots
at them & killed two. We also started three
grouse at which I fired an equal number 
of times but without avail. Found the
tracks of another bevy of quail but
could not start the birds. A bevy runs
over a surprising amount of country
in the course of a morning. "Launce"
worked finely as usual and made a
number of fine points. Frazer told me
the other day of a flock of shrikes (C. 
borealis [Collurio borealis]) that he saw in Nov. [November] some three
years back. About 25 were collected together
in a small orchard and the whole body
kept moving along from tree to tree.
[margin]Quail 2[/margin]