154 MISCELLANEOUS BIRDS. 



the ground, doubtless due to the feebleness of their legs and feet, 

 whicli prevents them from giving the initial spring into the air. 



The white rumped swilt according to David breeds in the hills 

 west of Peking. 



The spine-tailed swift is a very large handsome bird, of a dark 

 brown colour with a whitish back. 



The nightjar (Caprimulgus jotaca) is an interesting bird, found only 

 in the_moutainous areas. I have come across it in Shansi and ]\Ian- 

 churia only, though doubtless it occurs in the other provinces. It 

 makes a peculiar noise like the knocking together of two pieces of 

 MOod. Perhaps this is what gives it the name of nightjar. Another 

 name is i\ighthawk and a third very common one is goatsucker. The 

 last has come fVom the fact that the bird has frequently been seen to 

 hang around the udders of goats so that it has become a 

 popular belief that it sucks the milk. As a matter of fact it is flies that 

 the bird is after. Of a beautiful brown grey colour, closely pencilled 

 and barred, the nightjar is a handsome bird. Like the swift it has an 

 enormous mouth and long graceful wings. It lays two eggs on the 

 bare ground in the underbrush, where it rears its young. In tropical 

 countries there are some very beautiful members of this family. 



The Hoopoe (IJpupa cpops). 



A bird that never fails to call forth admiration is the hoopoe {U pupa 

 epops). In Shansi and westward this is not a rare bird, though I 



