1898
Feb. 7
Cambridge, Mass.
Clear, still and mild.
  Shortly after noon I took a walk about our garden
on snow shoes. The sun light, reflected from the deep,
unbroken field of snow, was very dazzling. As I was passing
near a young Scarlet oak, still covered almost as densely
with foliage as in midsummer, I discovered an Acadian Owl
perched near the extremity of a long, horizontal branch
about nine feet above the ground. How he chanced to 
attract my eye is a mystery for there were no small
birds about to betray his presence and he was sitting
perfectly motionless in the very middle of a cluster of
tan-colored leaves which matched his plumage closely.
When I returned with my camera an hour later he had
not changed his perch nor even his attitude. I took
a number of photographs some of which show his position
and facial expression better than I can describe them.
Walter Deane and Gilbert were with me and we all
walked around and even beneath the tree without
appearing to disturb the bird. He seemed to be very drowsy
sitting, most of the time, on one leg with the other drawn
up under his feathers and his eyes nearly closed
although a sudden movement on the part of one of us
would occasionally cause him to open his eyes wide
for a moment. He was sensitive to certain sounds
but paid no attention to our voices.
[margin]Acadian Owl
in our
garden.[/margin]
  After I had exposed all my plates we put up a
step ladder directly under the tree and Gilbert, ascending
it, had his hand within a few inches of the Owl
when the ladder gave way and fell with a crash
striking against some of the branches in its descent.