1874 Oct. 3 Clear cool and a fine day. I spent the forenoon in the house feeling rather under the weather in consequence of a severe cold. At 3 P.M. J. C. Melvin came out bringing dog & guns, as I was quite anxious to see his old Prairie hunt I decided to ask an addition to my cold so started with him for the meadows. We found only one Snipe on the lower meadows but upon arriving at the Black Island ground we found a number of boys & men ranging away at the birds which were quite numerous. We must have seen twenty five in all and as many as fly flying together. Fired 8 or 10 shots apiece without bringing a feather to bag though we killed a teal (N Carolina I think) which fell across a ditch & was stolen by some boys while we was going round. All the Snipe lay remarkably well & we had some good chances; in our instance his rising separately from one spot giving us time to change shells between the shots.