386 MASS. (Middlesex Co.) 1876. Wednesday Oct. 11 Clear with very cold wind. Spent the forenoon in my room stuffing birds. Jim came up at 1 P.M. and we started off together immediately after dinner driving up to "Garra's" where we beat for an hour or more and started on woodcock & grouse neither of which was shot at. Next drove around to Robbins Mills when Jim killed a woodcock & a grouse and I written a single grouse. This last bird I shot under rather irregular conditions. Loaman (read) on an evidently strong scent for some distance and finally pointed staunchly. As I came up behind him a grouse rose some 30 yds. ahead and flitting up a few yds dropped again to the ground like a rail's commenced running where I shot it on the ground. Upon picking it up I found it a mere skeleton though six feet plumage. No external mark of injury could be found upon it anywhere. Thursday Oct. 12 Clear and very cold, ice forming to the thickness of window glass & the ground freezing quite hard. Started off after breakfast with J. Buttrick and drove down to Hall's fully expecting to start a lot of woodcock but we were completely disappointed. I hunted several hours in vain finding nothing but a grouse which "Loaman" pointed in fine style where I missed a rather hard shot. After I had got tired out however & returned to