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 ducks, 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.