Habits of the quail - Sturnella magna
MASS. (Middlesex Co.) [Middlesex County, Massachusetts]
1876.
Monday
Dec. 11 [December 11, 1876] Clear & cold. Ther. [Thermometer] 0 [degrees] at sunrise. In P.M. took
"Launce" and went up to the pine swamp
where I tracked 2 quail for some time &
started & shot at a grouse. I tracked the
grouse some distance when it turned on its
track and passing mr within 20 yds.
under cover of some fallen brush, rose
behind me. That it did this with design
& while I was pressing closely on its footsteps
was clearly proven by the long strides
which it took & which were clearly revealed
in the snow.
Tuesday
Dec.12 [December 12, 1876] Cloudy through the day, clearing at sunset.
About five inches of snow fell last night &
this morning. In P.M. started out taking
my pointer "Smuggler". Beat the pine swamp
in vain; then tried the maple swamp beyond
"Block island" and after tracking a bevy
of quail for some distance "Smuggler"
finally found & pointed them in fine
style. As they rose I "put on" to to one but
pulled trigger in vain for the hammer
through some mistake had been left at
half cock. Following them I found
the other half of the bevy but it was
so dark when they rose that I could
not see along the barrel & fired two 
shots in vain. This bevy as I found by
following the track had split up one half
keeping in the swamp, the other ranging out 
to feed in the open, where I found them.
Saw a single Sturnella magna flying
over the big meadow. Saw also a musk rat
dive into an air hole in the ice.