Porzana Carolina. 
143 
1874. 
Middlesex County, 
Mass. 
(Oct. 7) 
Killed six in the Fresh Pond marshes. Most of those 
birds that v/e got aov/ are ev^idently migrants from further 
north for their numbers vary greatly on different days. 
It is singular, hovrever, that I have never seen them com¬ 
ing into the swamps while watching for ducks in the even¬ 
ing twilight, all the other common noAturnal birds being 
observed at such times. 
When pursued by a dog this Rail often takes to the 
v/ater and swims the deepest ditches. 
While sitting on a tussock in the Fresh Pond marshes 
this evening watching day pass into night a Rail rose 
some distance off and came by me flying in the usual slow 
way with daigling logs; I had previously supposed that 
when rising in this manner they flew differently. 
1875. 
Heard one singingv in the Fresh Pond marshes. 
Throe in the-swamps this evening, one calling inces- 
y ^£.-. 2.1 Jtar- e the others cackling. 
Literally swarming in the swamps near the Fresh 
1 Pond crossing. In one luttio patch of meadow intersper¬ 
sed with with thickets, there must have' been dozens, and 
I freq uently heard four or five calling at once. ’here 
, a succession of squealing notes given in a low tone and 
ii Sounding not unlike those uttered by the muskrat in 
spring attracted my attention. Approaching cautiously 
and peering over a thick bush, I discovered a pair of 
Carolina Rails within a fev; yards of mo. They were go¬ 
ing through the corem.onies of their courtship. The fe¬ 
male skulked coyly through the grass closely followed by 
the male, both birds tv/isting and doubling about ia the 
little opening which v/^as only a few yards square. 
Every now a d then the female would stop and allow the 
male to ^overtake her. Spreading his tail to the ut- 
jmost, and elevating it nearly vertically he would strut 
‘around her v/ith all the pomp of a turkey cock, uttering 
all the while the squealing above described. After a 
moment or two the female would become g^parently tired 
of his attentions ans skulk off again, the male following 
closely as before. Where the v/ater v/as too deep for wa¬ 
ding she v/ould swim, her attentive lover bobbing along 
gracefully in her wake. The song of this Rail is evider^t 
ly the jca-o. previously described. The bird also utters 
at least three other notes, a cacklin g cutter , cutter 
■ ca . Uor; a rapidly enunciated cry of eight or ten sylla¬ 
bles in a descending scale, the notes so run together as 
to almost form a trill; and a single quick sharp ken 
used indifferently by both sexes and especially by ‘the 
youngmales in autumn as a cry of alarm 
Apr. 22, 
“ 23. 
