Nest of the woodcock 103 MASS. (Middlesex Co.) 1875. April 24 Clear warm and pleasant with S.W. wind. Off after breakfast in my buggy taking "Shot" as I intended to try to find a woodcocks nest in the Warren run when I saw abundant signs of the birds yesterday, tying my horse in the usual place I stuck down into the sun and ranging "Shot" for a short distance found and potted one of the birds which by its size I concluded was the S. After flushing it & making sure that it had not risen from the nest I let the letter out again and he soon came down on his front most handsomely absolutely refusing to move far. Being quite sure this time of the nest I scanned the ground in all directions for the flying bird but in vain—nothing in sight but the universal woodland carpet of dry leaves & many tinted mosses, and antispa butterflies playing about in the sunshine). Taking another step towards the immovable and [illegible] statuesque letter I placed my hand for support on a small birch bough when with dashing legs and a scarcely audible flutter a large cock Sprang at my very feet, and rising straight up among the bushes, whiz- tled off in the customary manner. Looking down at the Spot where he had lain thus over the eggs four in number now [illegible] enough