The Bulletin. 11 



fined chiefly to the eastern portion of the State. It is the largest 

 of the three. The Whip-poor-will, which is of pretty general dis- 

 tribution, is the second species, and the third is the Mghthawk or 

 "Bullbat," known to all observers of bird life from the coast to the 

 highest mountain regions. Because of the fact that the activities 

 of these birds are largely nocturnal much confusion has arisen as 

 to their identification, and the writer has for many years been 

 familiar with the query, "Are the bullbat and the whip-poor-will the 

 same bird?" The whip-poor-will, although about the size of the 

 nighthawk, appears in flight to be the heavier. This is probably on 

 account of the wings being shorter. From tip to tip the wings of an 

 average specimen measures seventeen inches, while the same measure- 

 ment made of a typical nighthawk shows twenty-three inches. The 

 whip-poor-will is decidedly a night bird and rarely makes its ap- 

 pearance before late dusk. Its eggs are deposited usually on old 

 leaves generally to be found on the ground in a thicket, while the 

 nest of the nighthawk is a smooth place on the bare ground, either 

 in the open woods or fields. All of the representatives of this family 

 feed upon insects, which they capture while on the wing. Hence the 

 approach of winter necessarily drives them to the far South, where 

 an insect diet may be procured. 



The United States Department of Agriculture in its study of the 

 feeding habits of birds had 87 nighthawks killed and the contents of 

 the stomachs examined. One of the most conspicuous elements of 

 food was found to be flying ants. In twenty-four individuals the 

 number counted ranged from two hundred to eighteen hundred. 

 While some ants at times have useful functions, they are as a whole 

 annoying and harmful insects. The work done by the nighthawk in 

 destroying the flying ant is doubly important, as it occurs just at the 

 epoch in an ant's life when it is preparing to propagate its kind. The 

 death of an ant at this time means the loss of hundreds or perhaps 

 thousands of the next generation. Nighthawks eat many grass- 

 hoppers. One stomach held the remains of sixty individuals. This 

 was probably the remains of several meals, as indicated by the 

 presence of the mouth parts, which alone had remained in the 

 stomach. Numbers of the birds were found to have eaten may 

 beetles and others had consumed potato beetles. Bugs of the chinch- 

 bug family, leaf-hoppers, and many soft-bodied dipterous insects were 

 discovered, as well as the remains of many small insects like mos- 

 quitoes, but not fully identified. 



It is evident that the nighthawk is one of the most valuable 

 birds, and the law which protects them should at all times be care- 

 fully observed. The man who watches these birds flying about 

 over his farm of an evening may feel well assured that they are 

 friends and will do him no harm, but rather much good. 



