53 
Philohela minor. 
1871 
Middlesex County, Mass. 
{Mar.22) 
Sav/ one that undoubtedly had young as it acted Very 
strangely, making a querulous sound and flying only a 
few yards at a time. 
June 17 
Started a brood of four young birds on a high hill 
covered with tall poplars; there vras a heavy rain last 
night v/’hieh may account for this; though apparently of 
full size these birds flew feebly. 
Sept.20-' 
21 i 
The v/oathor v/as sharp for September and started 
quite a flight of these birds. They took to the al¬ 
der swamps and tuns though a fev/ were found in lovely-ly¬ 
ing birches. As-many as thirteen were started in a 
day at Concord; all were la rge old birds just recovering 
from the moult; oveing to the drought they have been 
scarce through the suDimer, 
The heaviest flight of birds passed through the 
state. The weather was very cold, the thermometer fall¬ 
ing to 28 . 
Started five among birches (Concord). 
A very small male , in Waltham on birch hillside; 
sportsmen say that the tail end of the flight is always 
composed of small birds. Saw so many signs that I am 
convinced that there must have been quite a flight dur¬ 
ing the last few days. 
Shot the last, a very small male bird which we 
started in a sheltered run shortly after day break; it 
had evidently just dropped in from the north as there v/as 
only one patch of white-wash onthe ground where it had 
been sitting and on dissection we found the stomach al¬ 
most entirely empty; it v/as, hov/ever, in good flesh 
though not fat, and whistled loudly as it rose. The 
country has been frozen hard for weeks and the mercury 
for days in succession has fallen to zero. 
1872, 
A Woodcock was started from North Market St. near 
Quincy Market, Boston, early this morning, by a trust¬ 
worthy and experienced sportsman, one of the members of 
the Tremont Club. 
cr 
30 
