74 
UPTON, MAINE 
1874 
August 16 - 
August 16 , (Sunday) Clear and cool. Spent the day about the 
house writing letters, etc. 
August 17 . C}.ear and warm. In the morning took the steamboat 
with S. and disembarked in my boat at Leonards pond where we 
found about 20 hooded merganser. Paddled S. up to a flock of 
4 of which he killed three on the water: at the report a larger 
flock rose from the grass and passed the boat when I fired both 
barrels, killing my first bird. The steamer returning from 
Errol in about an hour took us on board and we reached the Lake 
house by 12 A.M. On the broad of the lake I saw a flock of 
about a dozen Chroi.bonapartii as well as a number of Larus 
agentatus. Spent all the afternoon in making a new sail for 
my boat. Bates went into the sluice this morning and returned 
with a large basket of trout as well as a black duck and several 
partridges, 
August 18. Cloudy and threatening through the forenoon, clear¬ 
ing off in P.M. Started up the lake In the steamboat this morn¬ 
ing for a days shoot on the lake and L*s pond. Took to my boat 
at the outlet and after firing about 25 rifle shots at a loon, 
(who by the way seemed rather to like the fun paying no more at¬ 
tention to my shots than to occasionally rise and flap his wings 
when I came very near him) I paddled across the flooded meadow 
into the pond. In one of its most secluded nooks I was much 
surprised at coming suddenly upon a very large loon: he dived 
instantly and marking his course by a line of bubbles on the 
water passed nearly under my boat and escaped into the river. 
