Middlesex Co., Mass. [Middlesex County, Massachusetts]
1875. Jan. 27- 1875 [January 27, 1875]
Jan. 27 Clear and cold. Ther [Thermometer] 10 [degrees] at sunrise.
Of after breakfast striking up [delete]on[/delete]
to the farm. Shot five common
bird all on the wing killing them
principally for practice though I shall
use the specimens. Made one good double
shot at a pair of pine finches. the others
were two S. monticola [Spizella monticola] and an im. [immature] grosbeak.
Saw a flock of at least 30 robins on
the farm and found their droppings
everywhere on the snow. They feed at
this season entirely on the berries of
aborescent [arborescent] vegetation and will not
attack the asparagus until later when
the berries become softened by the
alternate [delete]thawings &[/delete] freezings & thawings.
Noted also two Colaptes auratus and
a Carpodacus purpureus. Late in
P.M. drove up to Mr. Maynards
and on the way saw a large flock
of snow buntings in the road as
noted on Monday 25th. While at
his house a shrike suddenly
appeared and attacked most
furiously a live redpoll which was
left out in a trap cage for a decoy,
but he quickly left it when
Mr. Greenwood appeared with a gun
and though shot at, escaped.
Jan. 28 [January 28, 1875] Clear and still till 11 A.M. when clouds
began to gather and by 4 P.M. it was
snowing fast. After breakfast took a
drive up through Waverley to as far