Cambridge
Ther [Thermometer] Monday, Jan. 22, 1917 [January 22, 1917] Wea [Weather]
Northern Shrike in Garden Dull
Cloudy, calm, mild (but chilly). 2" of snow fell last night.
  Garden birds. A Purple Finch (gray), White-thr.
Sparrow [White-throated Sparrow] (ad [adult]), 25+ H.Sparrows [House Sparrow]. Crow hd. [heard.] 2 Jays
while writing at Mus. [Museum] desk heard Shrike singing.
Went out twice & looked for him in vain. Finally
espied him thro [through] window, perched well up in
sassafras but not at top. He remained in Garden or
Jungle fr. [from] 12.30 to almost sunset singing freely &
often. Although an exceptionally mature & handsome
bird, with clear blue gray back, almost pure white
under parts, jet black wings tail & head stripes,
showing no trace of brownish anywhere, he was the
most unmelodious singer of his kind I ever
listened to uttering only harsh, guttural or
creaking notes in normal, leisurely or rather broken
sequence. While in sassafras he espied the
Purple Finch in P. apple tree [Parkman apple tree] almost beneath &
within 30 feet of his perch. Crouching flat on this
with lowered head like a cat about to spring. After
watching the other bird with eager interest for
perhaps 2 minutes he stooped swiftly down,
hovered just above tree an instant, then flew
away. Purple Finch must have escaped unseen
Shortly after this he dashed headlong into a 
dense thicket much frequented by our Peabody birds
but got nothing there nor did I see anything -
Walter Deane had a good view of him later
 Worked on Goose and Guinea hen story
all day, advancing it somewhat 

All but one or two of the House Sparrows disapped [disappeared] when the Shrike came & were
not seen again to-day

Cambridge
Ther [Thermometer] Tuesday, Jan. 23, 1917 [January 23, 1917] Wea [Weather]
Fine
  Cloudless; almost windless; frostily,
yet not more than seasonably, cold.
Excellent sleighing again, improved
by the few who still drive horses
through Cambridge streets. Some of
these I could not help envying to-day,
especially one with a high-spirited,
fast-stepping trotter such as Father
used to enjoy.
  Garden birds. So nearly absent
altogether that a few House Sparrows
were all I saw or heard.
  Harold L. Madison, Curator of Park
Museum, Providence, called by appointment
at 9.30 A.M. to see my collection &
more especially to study the way in
which is stored & arranged. He
stayed to luncheon at 1 & departed at 2.15
to visit the Gray Herbarium. We all
liked him - a pleasingly intelligent
sincere & earnest minded young man
deeply interested in his work.
  I added a page to Goose and Guinea hen
story this afternoon.