68 
1871. 
Gallinago wilsoni. 
Middlesex County, Mass. 
(May 1) dow; following them we found the place absolutely alive 
with birds and had good sport there until it became too 
dark to shoot longer. Two days after thie we visited 
Concord again and v/ent immediately to the promontory but 
neither there nor in the meadow above could we start a 
single bird. We then boat the Great Meado’vs a mile or 
more below v/here we had fair sport through the day. 
Returning in the afternoon it occured to us to try the 
promontory once more and scarcely had wo entered it when 
six birds jumped up and in a fev; moments, four more; 
follovving them into the meado\v above, what wsls our sur¬ 
prise to find that also full of Snipe, tv;enty-five or 
thirty starting in a few rises. All these were marked 
down across the river, but in going back to cross the 
bridge we passed the promontory when six or eight fresh 
birds rose from it. The next morning v/e boat this 
ground again without finding a bird but an accident com- 
ppillhg us to take the noon train hcxne, wo were unable 
to visit-it in the afternoon y/hon, without much doubt we 
should have found it well stocked as before. All three 
days were warm, sunny, and perfectly clear. Now whence 
came these numerous birds? We could not have driven 
them up from the meadows below as we killed nearly all 
that we saw there, and none of the survivors flew in 
that direction. Neither could they have been driven 
by other sportsmen, as none v/ere shooting on any of the 
rivers meadows on either day, and there are no other 
Snipe grounds, for miles. Another remarkable fact 
was that in neither place did we find either borings or 
chalk-marks. This showed conclusively that the birds 
had not been there long otherwise such signs would not 
have been wanting. Moreover neither meadow nor pro¬ 
montory was adapted for a feeding-ground both being of 
the sane character,—dry and covered with hillocks. 
et. 16. Four were shot to-day on the Fresh Pond meadow. 
Deane heard two passing over one evening in the latter 
part of August but though September the weather was so 
dry that only a few stragglers were observed.- A flight 
began to-day and lasted till about October 30, The 
Nesbitts killed eleven birds one day. While on a visit 
to Marston’s Mills, Cape nod, I was told by several old 
and reliable sportsmen that Snipe winter there regularly 
in considerable numbers, living in springy places on the 
edge of the salt marshes, 
1872. 
Apr. 
6 
0 
7 
0 
96 
0 
13. 
0 
One (Deane), 
One (Nesbitt), 
Saw one at Concord). 
Pour (Nesbitt). 
