388 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



trysting-place, and there evening after evening the little domestic 

 drama just described was enacted, thus offering me a superior oppor- 

 tunity to witness their love-making. 



The night-hawk builds no nest, but deposits her two speckled eggs 

 on the ground, usually selecting some ledge for this purpose. Birds 

 of this species are very numerous in New England, and in walking a 

 few rods I have often seen numbers of them perched on the trees which 

 border our streets. Still, for a long time I had been unable to find 

 their breeding-grounds, for there seemed to be no suitable places near 

 their favorite resorts ; at last, however, I found that they made use of 

 the house-tops for this purpose, and several pair with young or eggs 

 were discovered so situated. I have never seen the fact mentioned, but 

 it is undoubtedly true that these birds return to their old haunts year 

 after year, and deposit their eggs on the same spot for successive sea- 

 sons. Some years ago I found two young birds just out of the shell ; 

 and the next year, being in that vicinity, I had the curiosity to visit the 

 place, and there on the very same spot were two eggs ; again the fol- 

 lowing season it was occupied by the birds. They sometimes raise 

 two broods in a season, as was proved to me by finding two young birds 

 about to fly, and shortly after two more eggs were deposited on the 

 same sj)ot. This is, I believe, contrary to their usual practice, however. 

 A very strange peculiarity which these birds exhibit is that of remov- 

 ing their eggs upon being disturbed during incubation. I visited a 

 pair that had deposited their eggs on the house-top, and the next day 

 was surprised to find them gone, for the situation rendered them unap- 

 proachable by other than myself ; but a little search revealed the fact 

 that the eggs had been moved to another part of the roof, about a rod 

 from their former resting-place. This removal is perhaps made by 

 taking the egg in their very large mouths, in the manner described by 

 Audubon. In speaking of chuck- will's widow, an allied species found 

 in the South, he says : " When chuck- will's- widow, either male or 

 female (for each sits alternately), has discovered that the eggs have 

 been touched, it ruffles its feathers and appears extremely dejected for 

 a minute or two, after which it emits a low, murmuring cry, scarcely 

 audible at a distance of more than eighteen or twenty yards. At this 

 time the other parent reaches the spot, flying so low over the ground 

 that I thought its little. feet must have touched it as it skimmed along, 

 and, after a few low notes and some gesticulations, all indicative of 

 great distress, takes an egg in its large mouth, the other bird doing the 

 same, when they fly off together, skimming closely over the ground, 

 until they disappeared among the branches and trees." 



On any of our streams or lakes, whether in the unbroken forest or 

 where civilization reigns, we may find the kingfisher perched on some 

 stake or rock, surveying the water beneath him with eager eye in 

 search of his finny prey, or skimming over the surface and uttering his 

 harsh cry, which is so similar to the sound of the watchman's rattle 



