Bird Life in a Suburban Parish 131 



beforchaiui exactly where to look. As she sits, with ])iifFed 

 out and nearly closed eyelids, she resembles iiothiiio" so much 

 as a short bit of dead lichen-covered stick. On two occasions 

 at least I have noticed similar pieces of stick lying close to 

 the eggs, as tiiough the bird relied on the protective resem- 

 l)lance they bore to her mottled, russet-coloured plumage. 



The young birds exactly resemble two lumps of dry 

 earth or nuid. Even wlien in the hand they appear as if 

 they had been dipped in wet mud, which had dried on 

 them. So much is this the case that I have felt inclined 

 before now to dust them, to try to get some of it off. A 

 young Xightjar in the attitude of being fed has a most 

 extraordinary appearance, owing to the immense size of its 

 open mouth. 



The flight of the Xightjar is indescribably light and 

 noiseless, though sometimes it has a curious habit of clapping 

 its wings behind its back. 



Quite one of the prettiest experiences with birds I have 

 had was to see one fly up, hover o\'er her eggs, and Anally 

 settle down on them, while I was hiding under my concealed 

 camei'a not nuich more than a yard away. I had already 

 ])h()t()graphed her four times, after carefully crawling up to 

 her and climbing <)\-er a fence with the camera in full view 

 and \ery near to the nest. She e^■entually hatched her 

 young ones, and, I belie\'e, brought them off all right. 

 But from two other nests the birds deserted on my trying 

 to hide up for them. They return to the same place to nest 

 year after year — not necessarily to the same spot : but a patch 



