1889
June 13
Cambridge, Mass.
Clear and cool with strong S.W. wind. The first fine day for a week.
  To the swamps alone at 9 a.m. Entering from the
Fitchburg track on the east side of Alwife Brook I spent
an hour searching that meadow for Rail's nests. Found
absolutely nothing except a Red-wings nest building.
Heard only one Rail, a Carolina whinnying.
  On reaching the Central R.R. I heard a Little Black(?)
Rail calling in the meadow to the north. He seemed
to be well over to the brook which forms the outlet
to Smith's Pond & was possibly beyond it either in tall
canary grass or bushes. He sang about twenty times
but as I approached, ceased. In grass as high as
one's shoulders it is simply useless to search for
a Rail of any kind & I gave it up in disgust.
Keeping on in a westerly direction, I searched all
the tussocks I could find for nests but without
success. On a rude bridge that crosses the brook I
found a Virginian Rail that someone had shot (it
had a broken wing & shattered tarsus) and left there.
There were no Marsh Wrens on the old ground at
the west end of this meadow but the colony west
of the cart path is larger than that from which it
must have descended & which formerly occupied the
east side. I visited the nests found on the 5th
& was surprised to find five eggs in the one in
the ditch. This nest was of unusually large size
& from its exposed position was a conspicuous
object. I took both nest & eggs.
  Near the Marsh Wren's nest I roused a pair
of Virginia Rails which evidently had young. Although
they uttered their loud cries within a few feet of me