'whip-poor-will.' 615 



ries chequered with dark spots. — Male, with the 3 outer tail- 

 feathers white at the summits. — In the female the same part is 

 pale ochreous, as well as the crescent line on the throat. 



This remarkable and well known nocturnal bird ar- 

 rives in the Middle States about the close of April, or 

 the beginning of IVIay, and proceeds, in his vernal migra- 

 tions along the Atlantic States, to the centre of Massa- 

 chusetts, being rare and seldom seen beyond the latitude 

 of 43° ; and yet in the interior of the continent, accord- 

 ing to Vieillott, they continue as far as Hudson's bay, and 

 were heard, as usual, by Mr. Say, at Pembino in the 

 high latitude of 49°. In all this vast intermediite space, 

 as far south as Natchez on the Mississippi, and the inte- 

 rior of Arkansas, they familiarly breed and take up their 

 temporary residence. In the eastern part of Massachu- 

 setts, however, they are uncommon, and always affect shel- 

 tered, wild, and hilly situations. About the same time 

 that the sweetly echoing voice of the Cuckoo is first 

 heard in the north of Europe, issuing from the leafy 

 groves, as the sure harbinger of the flowery month of 

 May, arrives amongst us, in the shades of night, the myste- 

 rious ' Whip'poor-icill.' The well known saddening sound 

 is first only heard in the distant forest, reechoing from 

 the lonely glen or rocky cliff; at length, the oft-told soli- 

 tary tale is uttered from the fence of the adjoining field or 

 garden, and sometimes the slumbering inmates of the 

 cottage are serenaded from the low roof or from some dis- 

 tant shed. Superstition, gathering terror from every ex- 

 traordinary feature of nature, has not suffered this harm- 

 less nocturnal babbler to escape suspicion, and his fa- 

 miliar approaches are sometimes dreaded as an omen of 

 misfortune. 



In the lower part of the state of Delaware, I have found 

 these birds troublesomely abundant in the breeding sea- 



