Jan 23 - 1875. Jan 23 Clear and cold this falling to 0° in the morning as it has done every night for the last three weeks. Spent the forenoon in the house, labelling my skins etc. Immediately after breakfast started for M. Walton's but my thick hairless made an appointment for a tramp with Curtis. Found him all ready so we set out immediately for the woods. Found the walking extremely hard as the old snow underneath was badly crushed but we stuck 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 wretched very beautiful in its spotted robe of newly fallen snow. Shot 11 birds in all: 6 Aeg. lin. 3 Skry. prunus 1 Cay. cristata & 2 Certina. Chry. prunus is unmistakably resident this winter. They appear to differ slightly in notes from the Oct. migrants and are very dark in plumage. We saw 4 the day and when I fired into them three falling, tho Cassiekin one remained hopping about his dead companions with much chirping trying to induce them to answer him. He was so tame that I merely caught him in my hand puffing and wounded. The Aeg. linaria was in large flocks feeding on the brich reeds (of the corn). We heard one male give his full & Spring song a sweet gushing lilt trill, running quickly up the