Nyctea nivea Ipswich, Mass. [Ipswich Massachusetts]
1874. Nov. 24 - 1874 [November 24, 1874]]
Nov. 24  Alternately cloudy & clear with very high
wind & seasonal snow squalls. Took
the 10 A.M. train to Ipswich and
walked down to the edge of the marsh 
opposite Eagle hill where I found further
progress prevented by an unusually high
tide which had entirely submerged the
intervening marsh. Nothing could be
done but wait for the falling of the
water so I was obliged to spend two
hours in a burrough in the lee side
of a large hay stack. While here saw
two adlt. [adult] Circus Hud. [Circus hudsonius] a pair probably
as they were hunting in company.
Getting over to the hill at last I
found the larks & buntings in
abundance and detecting a note
new to me from a flock of the [?]
wheeling past I knocked over the 
individual uttering it and was
delighted to pick up my first P.
Lapponicus [Plectrophanes lapponicus]. I afterwards saw two
more and wounded one of them which
however escaped. My attention was at
this moment attracted by two Irishmen
who were pelting stones at something on
the further side of a ridge. Upon seeing
me they beckoned and shouted & I
immediately went over to them when
the [they] enquired "if I wanted that owl"
at the same time coolly pointing at
a magnificent Nyctea Nivea which
was sitting on the mud a short
distance off. Making a circuit so as
to bring him behind a large rock