Quail Shooting 1876. Monday Dec. 13 Clear and warm with light N.W. wind. Met Robt. Nesbit by appointment at 8.30 A.M. and started for the swamps, taking "Smuggler," Retit. had his pointer bitch "Sirm.". Robt Nesbit also accompanied us. After the pine swamp we flushed a bery of about 15 guail and making them down in the Spue on the Smith meadow, had good sport with them killing ninety birds. They lay well, each bird being crouched in under the fleecy snow when close to every branch & weed, forming tunnels & arches innumerable, leaving this bery at noon we flushed another of about the same size in the swamp beyond "Block Island". Of them I got three making our total bag twelve guail. I shot uncommonly well "for one", killing seven birds "Straight" missing both barrels on the next, then killing two more — quine birds in eleven shots. The latter time was in thick cover, the snow aided us much though the dogs also worked beautifully and found many of the birds. Several times however I tracked a quail directly into its hiding place, when I would call up my dog & getting him down to his front, would thrust in the toe of my rubber boot and "ye gods!" how the snow would fly as the quail burst up through it! These guail have evidently come down into the swamps from Belmont, estended probably by the abundant food as the nightshade berries are loaded with sweat berries and sank words abound we in the cover. We also started a groan & got home by dark all tired out