Middlesex Co., Mass. [Middlesex County, Massachusetts]
1875. Jan 23-1875 [January 23, 1875]
Jan. 23 Clear and cold ther. [thermometer] falling to 0 [degrees] in
the evening as it has done every
night for the last three weeks. Spent
the forenoon in the house, labelling
up skins etc. Immediately after
dinner started for W. Newton [West Newton] in
my sleigh having made an appointment
for a tramp with Purdie [Henry A. Purdie]. Found him
all ready so we set out immediately
for the woods. Found the walking extremely
hard as the old snow underneath was
badly crusted but we kept at it
till dark nevertheless, and must have
walked some four or five miles. I
enjoyed myself very much as the 
country is a new one to me and
[delete]withal[/delete] very beautiful in its spotless
robe of newly fallen snow. Shot 11
birds in all: 6 Aeg lin. [Aegiothus linaria] 3 Chry. pinus [Chrysomitris pinus],
1 Cy. cristata [Cyanocitta cristata] & a Certhia. Chry. pinus [Chrysomitris pinus]
is unmistakably resident this winter. They 
appear to differ slightly in notes from the
 Oct. [October] migrants and are very dark in 
plumage. We saw 4 to day and
when I fired into them, three falling,
the surviving one remained, hopping
about his dead companions with much
chirping trying to induce them to
answer him. He was so tame that I
nearly caught him in my hand supposing
him wounded. The Aeg lin. [Aegiothus linaria]
were in large flocks feeding on the birch
seeds (of the cones) We heard one males [male] give
his full (?) spring song a sweet gushing
little trill, running quickly up the