42 



flat gravel roofs of city blocks. The eggs resemble the peb- 

 bles so closely that it is difficult to see them. A friend 

 knowing that I am always ready to go almost anywhere to 

 secure a good bird picture^ came and informed me that a 

 Nighthawk was sleeping on his roof every day; that it sat 

 behind a certain chimney and would allow him to approach 

 within a few feet before flying. I thought it strange that 

 he made no mention of seeing the eggs, but I went along 

 and, sure enough, the bird, a female Nighthawk, was just 

 where he said it would be. When we were about four feet 

 distant it sailed easily away over the surrounding roofs. 

 My friend watched the bird until it disappeared and then 

 turned to me with a self-satisfied air saying: "I knew it 

 would be here; strange that it comes to the same building 

 to roost every day, isn't it?" He could hardly believe his 

 eyes when I showed him the two eggs the bird had been 

 covering. He had started this bird off at least half a dozen 

 times and had not noticed them. 



If the bird is flushed from the eggs when incubation is 

 well advanced, she will attempt to lead the intruder away 

 by feigning lameness, — a v^ery easy matter for a Nighthawk 

 as they progress very awkwardly on the ground anyway. 

 Young Nighthawks are first covered with fine down but, 

 unlike most birds that are so clothed, they move about in- 

 differently on their feet. One or the other of the parents 

 sits beside them during the day and they are not fed until 

 between dusk and daylight. 



Whip-poor-will 



Unless disturbed. Whip-poor-wills pass the whole day 

 dozing on horizontal limbs or upon fallen tree trunks. They 

 are even more av^erse to moving during daylight than Owls. 

 As soon, however, as the mantle of night has fallen over the 

 -woods, they become very active, swooping close to the 

 ground to gather up luckless beetles or dashing upward to 

 capture passing moths. Their bills are small but their 



