378 MICHIGAN BIRD LIFE. 



in the bright sunlight, and at almost any time of day, but it seldom feeds 

 freely at such times, hunting mostly on cloudy days and particularly dur- 

 ing the morning and evening twihght. During moonlight nights it may 

 fly all night, but except when feeding young this does not seem to be 

 its usual custom. 



During the mating season the male rises to a considerable height and then 

 suddenly dives toward the earth with incredible velocity, checking itself 

 suddenly, sometimes when within a few yards of the ground, and sweeping 

 upward again nearly to its original height. As it checks itself in its fall 

 the air rushing between the primaries produces a peculiar roaring sound 

 which has been aptly likened to the sound made by blowing into the bung- 

 hole of an empty cask. When children we were told that this sound was 

 made by the whistling of air through a hole in the wings, and the white 

 spot in either wing was pointed out as the actual hole. It is needless to 

 say that the white spot has nothing to do with the sound, which is similar 

 to that produced by several other species under similar circumstances, 

 notably by Wilson's Snipe. 



This species is well distributed over the state, fairly abundant in most 

 sections, and well known to most dwellers in the country. Under such 

 circumstances it is amazing that it is so generally confounded with the 

 Whippoorwill. True, the two birds are close relatives, but they are de- 

 cidedly unlike in shape, coloration and habits. The Nighthawk has long 

 pointed wings, each with a conspicuous white spot, a somewhat forked tail, 

 and under parts strikingly barred crosswise with black and white. The 

 Whippoorwill has comparatively short and rounded wings, a rounded tail, 

 and under parts streaked and mottled but scarcely barred. The Whippoor- 

 will is practically restricted to the woods, rarely visits the open fields until 

 after dark, and seldom makes long flights in search of food, being content 

 to flit about here and there, alighting frequently on fenceposts, boulders, 

 or on the ground, in order to pick up insects. It is never seen flying high 

 in the air by daylight, and finally its eggs are laid always in the woods, 

 and though shaped like those of the Nightliawk are very differently colored. 



The food of the Nighthawk consists entirely of insects, the great majority 

 of which are taken on the wdng. It seems to be remarkably fond of ants 

 and as many as' 1800 ants have been found in a single stomach. These 

 of course are the winged ants, the mating swarms, which fly in such numbers 

 in afternoon and evening, particularly in the late summer. Beetles of 

 various kinds are also eaten freely, and among them have been found a 

 few Colorado potato bugs and striped cucumber beetles. In addition, 

 flies, moths, grasshoppers, and an immense variety of other insects are 

 taken. The birds become very fat in the fall and when moving southward 

 in large numbers during the latter half of August thej^ are sometimes shot 

 for food, particularly at the south. Unquestionably they are valuable 

 allies of the agriculturist and should be rigidly protected from destruction. 



Up to about 1897 the Nighthawk was a very abundant bird throughout 

 Michigan, as elsewhere at the north. Each year, late in August, great flocks 

 appeared in the afternoon, and sometimes for an hour or two the air would 

 be fairly alive with them, all feeding more or less, but steadily working 

 southward. Then followed a decade of rapid and marked decrease; migrat- 

 ing flocks were no longer seen and it seemed possible that the complete 

 extermination of the species might be at hand. Since 1906, however, there 

 has been a decided gain in numbers, and with better legislation and the grow- 



