242 MASS. (Museum Co.) 1875. Dec. 10 Blowdy and a chill, dreary day. Off after breakfast with Stone driving up to Wamsutta when we just up the horse at Stearn's. By great good luck we had had gone but a few rods from the stable door when a bevy of about 10 guail flew literally in the yard in which the house stood and among a grove of pines, shooting up as they did they dropped down again with a few yards. Making a circuit so as to drive them in the right direction I sent one shot and when he was within about 20 yds. of them he pulled up but had hardly done so when the boys rose and went off unshot at. Following them [illegible] up onto the hill we chased them all the forenoon through the big Wamsutta woods. They were very wild, lay but poorly, quail seemed to give out but little if any point so that we did not get a single # shot point on any of them. I fired 8 shots and Stone rather won he having decidedly better chances than I. We left them at 11 M., having rattled them all over the woods and being fairly disgusted with the birds, the dog and the shooting generally Stone did not get a single bird, which I managed to bring down two. Saw a small flock of # Purpureus, a good many Blue Jays, Colaptes auratus is with us in about the usual numbers. Small birds of all kinds are unusually scarce this winter W. B. bag quail 2