THE WHIP-POOR-WILL 



Nest: No nest is made, but two dull-colored, mottled eggs are 

 laid on the ground or on dead leaves. 



Bange: Eastern North America. Breeds from southern Can- 

 ada to the northern parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, 

 and Georgia, and from the Plains eastward; winters 

 from eastern South Carolina and the southern Gulf 

 States to Central America. The chuck-will's-widow 

 is a resident of our southeastern states; the POOR- 

 WILL of our western states. 



THE whip-poor-will is too interesting and useful a bird 

 to be disregarded. He has been widely disliked and 

 even superstitiously dreaded because of his weird notes. 

 He is, however, of especial interest to scientists because of 

 his nocturnal habits and his value as a destroyer of in- 

 sects. Mr. Forbush calls him "an animated insect trap," 

 with an "enormous mouth surrounded by long bristles 

 which form a wide fringe about the yawning cavity." * 

 The whip-poor-will is believed to be the greatest enemy of 

 night-moths; he eats other insects, also, in great quanti- 

 ties. 



The chuck-will's-widow is even more interesting than 

 the whip-poor-will. Mr. W. L. McAtee writes of the 

 bird as follows: 



"Like other species of its family, it lays only two eggs, 

 which may be deposited almost anywhere on the forest 

 floor, there being no nest. Intrusion on this spot usually 

 results in the bird moving the eggs, which it carries in its 

 mouth. Although the bird is only 12 inches long, the 

 mouth fully extended forms an opening at least 2 by SV2 

 inches in size. It is but natural, therefore, that the bird 

 should prey upon some of the largest insects. Not only 



1 "Useful Birds and Their Protection," E. H. Forbush, page 343. 



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