1875. Dec. 11 Clear and a beautiful day. Off after breakfast with Ston taking the car up to the farm, I in the pines along the Mt. Auburn boundary fence heard a great outcry from a flock of crows and approaching as cautiously as we could a great hound out started out of a large pine and made off followed by his pursuers. This time he alighted on the top of tall leafless oak in the cemetery, and Ston leaving his gun with me, shirked the fence and made a circuit so as to draw him back to me if possible. While he was gone I had a fine chance to watch the bird and the actions of the crows, sitting all around him some of them within a few feet, they kept up a continuous clamor which upon the slightest movement on his part fairly worked to an uproar, some of the birds cawing until this oars actually cracked. The owl sitting erect seemed to regard the fierce insults of the crows with the most sovereign dignity and contempt. Crowding the mob were also a number of blue jays. At length the owl started by Ston took flight followed closely by the crows, and came directly for the place of my concealment; letting him get a little inside of 30 yds I rose up just on to his deliberating and pulled when, 'o miserable dietr', the cartridge missed fou