176 COMMON NIGHTJAR. 



weather is still. In Italy it is said to suck the milk 

 from the goats. They fly round the goat merely for 

 insects. The Nightjar seems to have an attachment 

 for oaks, no doubt on account of the insects found 

 near that tree. I distinctly saw it more than once 

 put out its short leg while on the wing, and by a bend 

 of the head deliver something into its mouth." 



The Nightjar may be known by its white-tipped tail. 

 It is impossible to describe its varied and soft plumage ; 

 the principal colours are yellow, orange, brown and 

 grey, beautifully pencilled upon rich dark brown. It 

 cannot very well be reared in confinement. 



The bird is a late breeder and its eggs are not often 

 met with before June. It has been found sitting on its 

 eggs as late as the 17th of August. No nest whatever 

 is made, the eggs being deposited on the bare ground, 

 on an open grass track through a wood, on a bare spot 

 amongst the bracken, or at the foot of a tree. 



They are two in number, rarely three, and are 

 amongst the most beautiful of all our British eggs. 

 They are nearly a perfect oval in shape, resembling 

 most beautifully grained marble, the ground colour 

 being white, clouded and streaked with bluish grey 

 and yellowish brown. The female has been known 

 when disturbed to take an egg in her mouth and 

 hurry off to a spot where she could brood uninterrupted. 

 If surprised when sitting, the bird will often feign 

 lameness and, fluttering along the ground, endeavour 

 to draw off attention from her eggs. 



Two eggs of the Nightjar were taken by one of our 

 young collectors on 17th July, 1883, which were nearly 

 a foot apart ; one of the eggs was hard set, and the 

 other quite fresh. Two birds rose as he neared the 

 spot. This seems a singular occurrence. Were the 



