Quail shooting
MASS. (Middlesex Co.) [Middlesex County, Massachusetts]
1876.
Wenesday [Wednesday]
Dec. 13 [December 13, 1876] Clear and warm with light W. [West] wind. Met Rob.
Nesbitt [Robert Nesbitt] by appointment at 8.30 A.M. and
started for the swamps, taking "Smuggler".  Robrt. [Robert Nesbitt] 
had his pointer bitch "Siren". Nat. Nesbitt
also accompanied us. Near the pine swamp
we flushed a bevy of about 15 quail and
marking them down in the open on the
snipe meadow, had good sport with them
killing nine birds. They lay well, each bird
being crouched in under the fleecy snow which
cling to every branch & weed, forming tunnels
& arches innumerable. Leaving this bevy
at noon we flushed another of about the
same size in the swamp beyond "Block
island". Of these I got three making one
total bag twelve quail. I shot uncommonly
well "for me", killing seven birds "straight";
missing both barrels on the next, then killing
two more - nine birds in eleven shots. The
latter three were in thick cover. The snow
aided us much though the dogs also
worked beautifully and found many of
the birds. Several times however I tracked a
quail directly into its hiding place, when
I would call up my dog & getting him down
to his point, would thrust in the toe of
my rubber boot and "ye gods"; how the
snow would fly, as the quail burst up
through it! These quail have evidently
come down into the swamps from Belmont,
enticed probably by the abundant feed
as the nightshade vines are loaded with
scarlet berries and rank weeds abound even
in the cover. We also started a grouse & got
home by dark well tired out.
[margin]W.B. [William Brewster] quail 9 (-2) R.R.Nesbitt [Robert R. Nesbitt] quail 3 (-2) N. Nesbitt [Nat. Nesbitt] quail 2 (-1) total 12[/margin]