156 



THE OOLOGIST. 



luive enjoyed luauy an evening slroU, 

 out listening to his I'eveli-y. 



Tlie Chnek-Wills-Widow: This is 

 not so well knoAvu as the former spec- 

 ies, and is counted as rare everywhere, 

 though I must say it is quite common 

 in this locality. It is also named from 

 tlie fanciful construction of its notes, 

 and during the early evening kee[)S up 

 an incessant How of turbulent noise, 

 which lacks the attractiveness found iu 

 the Whip-poor-wiirs song. It is some- 

 times called Chix)-buttee-whitc-onk. The 

 last .sjdlable is emphasized, the first 

 l)eing more faint, and, at a distance, is 

 sometimes not heard. Like the Wliip- 

 poor-will, it often gets in a hurry and 

 repeats the words so fast as to make 

 them indistinguisliahle. 



I l)eg leave to differ witli the notes 

 given in Davie's desci-iption of this 

 species, Avhich read as follows, "deep 

 ravines, shady swamps and extensive 

 pine forests are the retreats during the 

 day, when the birds roost in hollow 

 trees." Their favorite retreat, here, is 

 open, sterile rocky ground bordering 

 the hillsides, where there are no hollow 

 trees to roost in. He further says, 

 "when in search of food, the same places 

 are resorted to at night, and their 

 singular notes are only uttered for a 

 brief period in early evening, when on 

 the wing." My experience is quite 

 different. They resort to the same 

 places at night, but in the mating 

 season, they may Ijc hcaid from dusk 

 till bedtime, and I have yet to find the 

 first one that performed such a part 

 while on the wing. Of a hundred or 

 more which I have traced up in the 

 moonlight, every one was perched on 

 the ground, a rock or log, or occasion- 

 ally on a low limb or snag, while sing- 

 ing. They change their position fre- 

 (juently, however, while catching 

 insects, and perhaps this gives rise to 

 the idea that they are Hyicxg al)out. 

 Yet, if distxu'bed, they do make a pecul- 

 iar guttural sound like that of a bull- 

 frog, or a rattling ba-a-a-a, wiien on 



the wing. Tlie female is generally 

 along and utters the same noise but not 

 nearly so course. 



They are very hard to approai-h, 

 owing to the fact that the female is 

 clost! at Iiand, keeping guard while lie 

 sings, and at the least rustle in tlic 

 leaves (ir hrusli, she takes flight, fol- 

 lowed by lier companion Happing his 

 wings together occasionally, but irreg- 

 uhirjy and n(jt twice together. Their 

 ilight is short; even if shot at they will 

 only fly fifty yards or so and resume 

 their music, if such it can be calknl, but 

 I dare say that if a stranger should pass 

 through these parts at night, and a 

 Ijird would suddenly begin singing- 

 witliiu a few rods of him, he would 

 think of an3thing before "sweet 

 music." it is absolutely the most lone- 

 ly and bewildering sound I ever heard, 

 and I shall not soon forget my lirst ex- 

 perience with them. It was in the 

 spring of '88 that I had my first exper- 

 ience in a new unopened country, rav- 

 aged by forest fires and as I emagined, 

 from numerous letters received, a- 

 i)ounded in bears, panthers, wolves ^ 

 wildcats, deer and other Avild animals, 

 liable to meet one in the road at all 

 hours of the day. Guess at my feelings, 

 as I started out alone and on foot, at 

 nightfall, to travel three miles and a 

 half over one of the roughest and wild- 

 est mountain trails in Arkansas for the 

 first time. I was not much of a coward, 

 anil Avas determined to "surprise" the 

 folks riuit niglit, if I didn't get lost, but 

 I must say I quailed when one of these 

 birds struck up a lively tune almost in 

 front of me. I made the trip safely, 

 though I carried my gun at full (-ock 

 the rest of the way, and was ready to 

 shoot every black stump or other un- 

 sightly ol)ject that came to view. 



Twenty-five of these birds may be 

 heard at one time, and a spec-imen shot 

 measures fourteen inches, and twice as 

 large in bulk as the Whip-poor-will. 



They first arrived on April SKtli. 

 •'Akk.ansaw Housikk," 



Clinton, Ark.. 



