1890 
May 24
Cambridge, Massachusetts                     
Evening at Pout Pond Swamp
Mass.
Cambridge. 
Clear and warm with cool E. wind.
  After spending the day in Boston I took the
4 P.M. train for Hills' Crossing. As we passed Pout Pond
I saw Faxon and some one whom I did not know
standing together on the edge of the cat-tails and upon
walking back down the track I found this stranger 
to be Dr. Clark of Waverley. He and Faxon had seen the 
Gallinule at the usual place in the ditch and were
now looking at some Virginia Rails which evidently had
young. They went back with me to the ditch and after
waiting for a few minutes a Gallinule came out and
bathed standing precisely in the spot where he has stood
on every previous occasion. Faxon & Clark thought him
(or her) less brilliant than the bird they had seen  
earlier in the afternoon.
  Dr. Clark left us at 5 o'clock but Faxon watched another 
hour with me. For a long time we neither saw nor heard
the Gallinules then there was suddenly a great outcry
and splashing among the bushes and out came two 
birds. The leading bird, evidently a ♀, swimming swiftly
with tail depressed, the other a superb ♂, in hot pursuit,
thrashing the water with his wings in his eagerness
to overtake her. As with open bill he at length darted 
his head forward to seize her, evidently with amatory
designs, she eluded him by suddenly dodging. He then
swam around her several times in a narrow circle,
his tail erect, his frontal plate blazing like a red-hot
coal and apparently much inflated, although of this
we could not make sure. After a while they seperated
the ♀taking to the bushes the ♂ climbing up on
his favorite station and standing there for some time.
[margin] Fla Gallinules[/margin]