Dear Mr. Brewster; - 
Regarding the birds T sent, will say that the 
single Fla. Gal l in ule that T sent you T found swimming in the 
River about a mile above the Bog. Previous to that date, j found 
the 5 bird3 in what we call the Bog which is on Farrar's land 
just above Fair Haven Bay. This is a piece of meadow land which 
is dammed up expecting to make a lake. Tt makes quite a place for j, 
I was in there one day with a couple of friends in a canoe 
and saw these 5 birds swim up 30 or 40 yards from the shore where 
the water was a couple of feet deep.. As we paddled up to them 
and before getting in range, they went on shore and worked up into 
the brush on the dry hillside. We happened to have 2 dogs in the 
boat and put them out on shore and they flushed the birds up full 
over our heads out in the middle of the pond. I killed one as they 
went over and when I saw what they were, T let the rest go as I 
did not care for them. The bird I killed I judge was a bird of the 
year and T mounted it. If you want it, T will be very glad to let 
vou have it. / ■ 
A Florida Gallinule on the Coast of Massachusetts.— While the barge 
‘Geo. W. Stetson’ was passing over the shoals near Pollock Rip lightship, 
about July 30, 1906, a strange bird alighted during the night on the deck. 
The crew tried to capture it, and it flew to sea again and out of sight, but 
a little later returned to the vessel and was captured. It was brought 
here and given to me for identification; it proved to be a Purple Gallinule 
(Gallinula galeata). This would seem to be considerably out of its ordinary 
range. I liberated it on some fresh-water marshes here (Beverly, Mass.), 
hoping it would find its way south with some other birds in the fall migra- 
tion — Frank A. Brown, Beverly, Mass. 
wife, xxiv, a 
IQQv.P - 97 - 
Bird Notes from Springfield, Mass., and Vicinity. — Gallinule galeata. 
On January 17, 1910, William Dearden, a taxidermist, residing in Spring- 
field, received a Florida Gallinule, to be mounted, which was sent to him 
from the town of Ware. The occurrence of this bird in Massachusetts at 
this season of the year, was so unprecedented, that deputy game warden, 
Dennis F. Shea, residing in Ware, was asked to inquire into the matter, 
which he did, and reported that this bird was first seen about the middle 
of December in a field on the farm of Arthur F. Bennett, in the town of 
Palmer, feeding on an old pig’s head that lay upon the ground ; that for a 
number of days after that time, Mr. Bennett saw the bird near his hen- 
coop, searching for food. Finally he caught it and put it in with his fowls, 
where in a few days it died. Mr. Bennett states that he thought his hens 
killed it. AUk *7. Apr-1810 9. i_f. 
