I 
Porzana Carolina. 
j Concord, 
| 1397. 
I Oct. 27. 
i Oct. 28. 
i 
Mass. A tame young bird. 
Late in the afternoon I discovered a Carolina Rail among 
the button bushes on the edge of the river at the entrance to 
the dock where ray canoe lies. It was a young bird and exceed- 
ingly tame permitting me to approach within six or eight feet 
without signs of fear. I watched it for a long time as it 
fed along the margin of the water jerking up its tail sharply 
at nearly every step. It was a beautiful little creature 
whose every attitude and movement was grace itself. 
The Carolina Rail seen yesterday was in the same place 
this morning. Indeed it spent the entire day walking slowly 
back and forth over a space of only a few yards square keeping 
most of the time under some button bushes but occasionally 
venturing out on an open space of bare mud. Why it should 
stick to such a place with the great expanse of grass meadows 
directly opposite is a mystery. Its tameness was even more 
surprising for two of my men were at work all day within less 
than twenty feet of the bird and at times they made a great, 
deal of noise hammering at some large stones which they were 
laying. This Rail is a rather peculiar specimen for its bill 
is dark greenish and its plumage more than ordinarily marked 
with white on the back and sides. 
