1891.
July 4
(No 9)
England.
Wells. - flower beds. It would fly up to the top of
the stone coping, cross the gravelled path and
disappear among the plants whence, often a 
half minute or less, it would emerge carrying a
single long blade of dead grass in its bill
and plumping into the water would return to
the thicket of bushes where it must have had
a partially finished nest. After several of these
excursions it sought recreation by rambling slowly
along the gravel walk that skirted the edge 
of the pond, picking up food or perhaps small
pebbles (?) at every few steps. Its motions were
very Rail-like and it constantly [jerked?] up it
tail. It followed the path for fully 100 feet. 
I heard only one call from these birds a short
kr-rup.
  A family of Norway Rats had discovered the corn
in the pond and despite the depth of water (fully
two feet) were helping themselves freely. Big rats &
little rats, sometimes singly, often two together, came
scuttling across the [?] from a thicket, paused a
moment on the edge of the stone coping, then
plumped into the water and dove directly to the
bottom, where they crawled about filling their mouths
& throats with the corn. On reappearing they swam
to a certain place where the wall was broken down
& easily scrambled out and ran back to the 
thicket. I watched until one big fellow dove
and then ran to the wall directly above him.
As he came up he tried to climb the wall at
the usual place but I pushed him back with