Middlesex Co., Mass. [Middlesex County, Massachusetts]
1874
Dec. 10 [December 10, 1874] and two [male] Certhia familiaris which latter
I skinned. Took old Dart & beat carefully 
for quail but did not succeed in starting
the bevy. Saw one large flock of Pinicola 
enucleator a Turdus migratorius, Colaptes
auratus & a few Chry. tristis [Chrysomitris tristis]. Cyanera
cristata [Cyanura cristata] is very scarce as they always
are at this season. They begin to 
appear in early Feb. & by March are
tolerably abundant. Where they go
at this season is a perfect mystery to
me. I have however noticed that
in the more extensive woodlands of
the interior, about Concord for instance,
there is no great diminution of their
numbers in Dec. as with us. Certhia 
familiaris does not I think remain paired
the year round. One usually finds
two together at this time of the year, but 
they are as often of the same sex as otherwise
& in either can seem equally much attached
to one another. Their habit of lifting the
tail like the hawks when about to 
mate is peculiar! I never remember having
seen any of the Picidae do it & in
fact do not recall having seen them 
perform that necessary act at all. With
the creeper it is of singularly frequent
recurrence. As I am writing this at 
a later date than the heading I will 
here note that I yesterday (Dec. 13) saw
a Melospiza palustris in a flock of
Spiz. monticola [Spizella monticola] in Dr. Wyman's yard.
M. melodia [Melospiza melodia] is unusually abundant for
the season. Saw four in one flock today (10th).