Marston's Mills, Shooting trip to Marston's Mills
MASS [Marston's Mills, Massachusetts]
1876. Winter haunt of the snipe
Tuesday
Dec. 5 [December 5, 1876] Clear still & a lovely day. Came down on the
cape last night leaving Boston by the 4 P.M.,
train. Arrived at Capt. Baxter's at 7.45
and found all well. Brought my pointer
"Smuggler" alone, as I wish to give him
a thorough trial on game. Started out this
morning after breakfast with Capt. B. [Captain Baxter]
a spent the forenoon hunting the woods
& fields E. [east] of his farm. Started 7 grouse
and fired nine shots at them getting
only one bird. They lay remarkably
well & Carter's dog, "Cap" made some
fine points on them but I shot wretchedly.
In P.M. started off again, this time
Westward. Cap found & pointed a
bevy of quail up the valley. I fired two
barrels as they rose & B. [Captain Baxter] one. Three birds
shot down. Could not find the bevy
again. Striking the river below "Mud" pond
I waded down its channel to the mouth,
being desirous to investigate the snipe problem
as Capt. B. [Captain Baxter] has always assured me that
Gallinago [Gallinago delicata] winters there regularly & in
numbers. The bed of the river (or rather brook
for it averages not wider than 10 ft) is good
wading as the bottom is hard & gravelly & the 
water uniformly about 10 inches deep. It
consists of gravelly shallows where the
current runs rapidly and at the foot of
each still dark pools two feet or more in
depth. It was formerly a famous fishing
ground for sea trout. This brook winds
through the centre of one of the most
tangled swamps I have ever entered. Birch
maple & alder trees averaging 15 to 20 ft
[margin]Grouse 1 - quail 3 - snipe 1[/margin]