Curvirostra leucoptera
Mass. (Middlesex Co.) [Middlesex County, Massachusetts]
1875. January 31- 1875 [January 31, 1875]
January 31. Cloudy with light rainfall in P.M.
Three Curvirostra leucoptera (2 [males] 1 [female])
were seen by R. Deane [Ruthven Deane] this morning
sitting on a white cedar top in 
Dr. Walker's yard opposite our place.
With the exception of a single specimen
noted by me in Dec. [December 1874] these are the 
first seen in this locality this winter.
Under date of Jan. 27 [January 27, 1875) I made a note
of a shrike which I saw attack a
cage bird at Mr. Maynard's place.
The next day (Jan. 28) [January 28, 1975] the same cage and bird
being in the same place Mr. M. [Maynard]
saw a shrike appear and again try
to get at the confined bird (an Aegiothus
linaria) In the course of its flutterings
around the cage it discovered the
trap door and immediately entering
set free the spindle and became 
itself a prisoner: Running out to
secure his prize what was M's
astonishment at finding that he
had captured a typical C. Ludovicianus [Collurio Ludovicianus].
This afternoon I went up with R. Deane [Ruthven Deane]
to see the novelty, and while there
we introduced into his box a live
tree sparrow which was almost
instantly attacked by the bird and 
by a quick blow on the back of the skull
knocked to the floor of the cage where
its fierce assailant pinned it firmly 
down griping [gripping] its neck firmly in his
powerful beak, but after holding it a 
moment he released his hold and
the sparrow fluttered off apparently