BIRDS OF THE NIGHT. 199 



several hours over a rather wild region I arrived at a 

 very romantic spot, consisting of an open level, com- 

 pletely surrounded by woods. Nature uses her ordinary 

 materials to form her most delightful landscapes, and 

 causes them to rise up as it were by magic when we least 

 expect them. Here I suddenly found myself encom- 

 passed by a charming amphitheatre of hills and woods, 

 and in a valley so beautiful that I could not have imag- 

 ined anything equal to it. A neat cottage stood with 

 only one other in this spot. It was entirely wanting 

 in any architectural decoration, which I am confident 

 would have dissolved the spell that made the whole 

 scene so attractive. It was occupied by a shoemaker, 

 whom I recognized as an old acquaintance and a worthy 

 man, who resided here with his wife and children, whose 

 mode of living was one of the few vestiges of ancient 

 simplicity. I asked them if they were contented while 

 living so far from the town. The wife of the cottager 

 replied that they suffered in the winter from their soli- 

 tude ; but in the warm season they preferred it to the 

 town, " for in this place we hear all the singing-birds 

 early and late, and the Whippoorwill sings every night 

 during May and June." It was the usual habit of this 

 bird, they told me, to sing both in the morning and even- 

 ing twilight; but if the moon should rise late in the 

 evening after it had become silent, it would begin to 

 sing anew as if to welcome her rising. May the birds 

 continue to sing to this happy family, and may the voice 

 of the Whippoorwill never bode them any misfortune ! 



THE NIGHT-JAR. 



The Night-Jar, or Nighthawk, is similar in many 

 points to the Whippoorwill. The two, indeed, were for- 

 merly considered identical; but more careful investiga- 



