All righU resetved?^ [OCTOBER, 1907. 



BIRD NOTES: 



THE JOURNAL OF 



THE FOREIGN BIRD CLUB. 



^be IRiobtjar. 



{Capriinulgus europceus). 

 By Mrs. E. Warren Vbrnon. 



I do not suppose many of our members have kept 

 this fascinating, but at the same time peculiar bird as 

 a pet. 



To accurately describe him, imagine an old bough 

 of an oak, with the sun flickering on it through the 

 leaves, and you have the idea of the Nightjar's colour. 

 A marvellous mixture of warm chocolate browns, 

 greys, and black. Size, about a Cuckoo's ; enormous 

 black eyes, which he squints in a horrible fashion 

 when taking his food. At present he is still a bab\% 

 and is fed at dusk and dawn, no food in the day at all. 

 He sleeps and doses in the sun, flattening his body 

 and wings to get all the warmth he can, and is like a 

 stuffed specimen during the day light. Directly even- 

 ing comes, he opens his great eyes and I let him out, 

 that is to say, I offer him my hand, and he condescends 

 to come on to it, and be taken out of his cage. He 

 then sits on the top of the cage and will proceed to 

 run backwards and forwards and uttering a harsh cry. 

 If I offer him a mealworm, moth, or daddy long legs 

 on the end of a blunt pin he flies up in the air and 

 takes it off. His mouth is enormous when open, like 

 a large frog's; when closed he has a tiny beak, aud no 



