NIGHT-HAWK. 243 



induce him to pursue her. This "pious fraud," as the poet Thomson 

 calls it, is kept up until the person is sufficiently removed from the nest, 

 when she immediately mounts and disappears. When the young are 

 first hatched it is difficult to distinguish them from the surface of the 

 ground, their down being of a pale brownish color, and they are altoge- 

 ther destitute of the common shape of birds, sitting so fixed and- so 

 squat as to be easily mistaken for a slight prominent mouldiness lying 

 on the ground. I cannot say whether they have two broods in the sea- 

 son ; I rather conjecture that they have generally but one. 



The Night-hawk is a bird of strong and vigorous flight, and of large 

 volume of wing. It often visits the city, darting and squeaking over 

 the streets at a great height, diving perpendicularly with the same hol- 

 low sound as before described. I have also seen them sitting on chim- 

 ney tops in some of the most busy parts of the city, occasionally utter- 

 ing their common note. 



When the weather happens to be wet and gloomy, the Night-hawks 

 are seen abroad at all times of the day, generally at a considerable 

 height ; their favorite time, however, is from two hours before sunset 

 until dusk. At such times they seem all vivacity, darting about in the 

 air in every direction, making frequent short sudden turnings, as if 

 busily engaged in catching insects. Even in the hottest, clearest 

 weather, they are occasionally seen abroad, squeaking at short intervals. 

 They are also often found sitting along the fences, basking themselves 

 in the sun. Near the seashore, in the vicinity of extensive salt marshes, 

 they are likewise very numerous, skimming over the meadows, in the 

 manner of swallows, until it is so dark that the eye can no longer 

 follow them. 



When wounded and taken, they attempt to intimidate you by opening 

 their mouth to its utmost stretch, throwing the head forwards, and ut- 

 tering a kind of guttural whizzing sound, striking also violently with 

 their wings, which seem to be their only offensive weapons ; for they 

 never attempt to strike with the bill or claws. 



About the middle of August they begin to move off towards the south ; 

 at which season they may be seen almost every evening, from five 

 o'clock until after sunset, passing along the Schuylkill and the adjacent 

 shores, in widely scattered multitudes, all steering towards the south. I 

 have counted several hundreds within sight at the same time, dispersed 

 through the air, and darting after insects as they advanced. These oc- 

 casional processions continue for two or three weeks ; none are seen 

 travelling in the opposite direction. Sometimes they are accompanied 

 by at least twice as many Barn Swallows, some Chimney Swallows and 

 Purple Martins. They are also most numerous immediately preceding 

 a northeast storm. At this time also they abound in the extensive 

 meadows on the Schuylkill and Delaware, where I have counted fifteen 



