EASTERN WHIPPOORWILL 165 



male called from a low branch overhead, while the female strutted on the 

 gravel path below, with wings and tail outspread and head lowered, and side- 

 stepped back and forth, half way around to the right, then to the left, all the 

 time uttering a curious guttural chuckle. This performance was kept up for 

 ten or fifteen minutes. 



Bendire's (1895) account of the whippoorwill's courtship is the 

 best in the literature ; it has become almost a classic, and ornitholo- 

 gists still deplore the regrettable incident that interrupted the 

 observation. 



While on a collecting trip in Herkimer County, New York, with Dr. William 

 L. Ralph, in June, 1893, I witnessed a most amusing performance, which one 

 may see perhaps once in a lifetime. I happened to be in a little outbuilding, 

 some 20 feet in the rear of the house at which we were stopping, early on the 

 evening of the 24th, about half an hour after sundown, when I heard a pe- 

 culiar, low, clucking noise outside, which was directly followed by the familiar 

 call of "whip-poor-will." * * * Directly alongside of the small outbuilding 

 previously referred to, a barrel of sand and lime had been spilled, and from the 

 numerous tracks of these birds, made by them nightly afterwards, it was evi- 

 dent that this spot was visited regularly, and was the trysting place of at least 

 one pair. Looking through a small aperture, I saw one of the birds waddling 

 about in a very excited manner over the sand-covered space, which was perhaps 

 2 by 3 feet square, and it was so much interested in its own performance 

 that it did not notice me, although I made some noise trying to fight 

 off a swarm of mosquitoes which assailed me from all sides. Its head ap- 

 peared to be all mouth, and its notes were uttered so rapidly that, close as 

 I was to the bird, they sounded like one long, continuous roll. 



A few seconds after his first effort (it was the male) he was joined by his 

 mate, and she at once commenced to respond with a peculiar, low, buzzing or 

 grunting note, like "gaw-gaw-gaw," undoubtedly a note of approval or endear- 

 ment. This evidently cost her considerable effort; her head almost touched 

 the ground while uttering it, her plumage was relaxed, and her whole body 

 seemed to be in a violent tremble. The male in the meantime had sidled up 

 to her and touched her bill with his, which made her move slightly to one side, 

 but so slowly that he easily kept close alongside of her. These sidling move- 

 ments were kept up for a minute or more each time; first one would move 

 away, followed by the other, and then it was reversed; both were about 

 equally bold and coy at the same time. Their entire love making looked 

 exceedingly human, and the female acted as timid and bashful as many young 

 maidens would when receiving the first declarations of their would-be lovers, 

 while the lowering of her head might easily be interpreted as being done to 

 hide her blushes. Just about the time I thought this courtship would reach 

 its climax, a dog ran out of the house and caused both to take flight. 



Nesting. — The whippoorwill lays its two eggs on dry, well-drained 

 ground, generally near the edge of a wood of small mixed growth — 

 oak, beech, pine — where the floor of the wood is clear of dense under- 

 brush and where the trees are not crowded together, but spaced far 

 enough apart to cast an uneven shade. The eggs may lie on the open 

 floor or under a small bush — not tucked away near the stems, but out 

 in the shadow of its branches. The bird builds no nest, although a 



