A strange Rail-like Note. 



Cambridge, Mass. 



1889. (P. M. ). Several jrears ago a fire, one dry season, 



J-une 5. burned over muoh of the large meadow north of Glacial is and 

 destroyed the grass and bushes as well as eating deep holes 

 in the peaty ground. Over the whole of the burned traot oat- 

 tail flags sprang up the next year and have sinoe flourished 

 to the practical exclusion of all other vegetation. In these 

 cat-tails, near Alewife BrooX, I heard a note quite new to me. 

 It was very loud and resembled, somewhat, the outcry of the 

 Clapper Rail but lacked its harsh quality and vibrating under- 

 tone. I should render it as kuk-kuk-kiok , kuk, k^ is.. kuk . given 

 in a descending scale and rather slowly at the end. We waded 

 through the middle of this place although the water was nearly 

 waist deei> and the flags so dense that it was impossible to 

 see more than a yard or two ahead. The only birds we could 

 find were a few Red-wings. 

 Jmie 7, ( Paj t e ^ a ., Torrey and I were on the tracks of the Central 



R. R. after 7 P.M. ). As we were eating our lunch, the big 

 Rail (?) suddenly called in the oat -tail swamp to the south 

 very nearly where I heard him on the 5th. Kuk-kuk- jcuk-k rf s.- 

 kuk-kuk-cree-cree-ee the cry prolonged and so loud that it 

 was almost startling though uttered fully 200 yards away. We 

 listened nearly an hour for another repetition but heard noth- 

 ing unusual. Nearly dark when we left. Stranger not nocturnal. 



