52 
UPTON, MAINE 
1873 
September 3-5 
the mouth. The ducks began soon to come down and I shot four, 
two flying. B. shot a wood duck and came back. Hearing the 
whistle of the steamboat we dragged out my skiff and I stationed 
myself on the river while he went back to the pond. Here I 
shot two more duck3, a winter yellow leg. and a grt. blue heron 
all flying and missed another duck after snapping the first 
barrel at him. The steamer now came along and after another 
delay on the bar, we reached home by 10 P.M. 
September 3 . Clear and a fine day. Barstow left for "the re¬ 
treat" this morning. After dinner went up Cambridge river in 
the skiff and shot 8 birds, 2 D.castania, 1 Parus hud. and 2 
D.striata: the latter are evidently increasing in numbers. 
Rhy.solitarius are all gone, as are the swallows which seemed 
to have almost simultaneously. Ch.popetue I have not seen for 
several days, and Chry.pinus with their young have suddenly 
and almost entirely disappeared. C.tristis Is also, I think, 
leaving us. The birches are turning yellow, the ferns are 
withering and everything both faunal and floral begins to show 
signs of the approaching change in nature. 
September 4 . Cloudy and rainy, wind east. In forenoon skinned 
the birds shot yesterday. In P.M. went down to the river and 
took three half-pounders. 
September 5 . Clear with showers. In A.M. shot a Ch.tristis 
with my rifle and took 2 M.melodia nestling. Lounged about the 
house in P.M. Dan C. French arrived in the evening. 
