AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 141 



Often on rainy clays, they will be found sleeping in hollow logs and 

 if surprised in such a location they ruliie their feathers and hiss like a 

 snake, with the evident intention of frightening an intruder away. 



They lay their two eggs among the leaves, under underbrush in 

 woods, making no nest. These eggs are of a bufify white color, blotch- 

 ed with soft shades of gray, brown and lilac; they are quite similar to 

 those of the Whip-poor-will but larger. The female dozes while sitting 

 upon her eggs in the day time; if any one approaches her she only sits 

 the closer, trusting to the color of her plumage to escape notice. If 

 their eggs are discovered, it is said that they will often convey them to 

 a new place, carrying them one at. a time in^their capacious mouth. 



WHIP-POOR-WILL. 



No. 417. Antrosttmius vociferus. 



These birds are not uncommon in suitable localities throughout the 

 eastern parts of the United States and southern Canada. They winter 

 south of the L'^nited States except possibly a few that may remain in 

 southern Florida. 



Like the last species, they do not, of their own accord, fly about in 

 daylight, which time they pass in the seclusion of woods, perched 

 lengthwise along limbs of trees, or on or under logs or rocks that are 

 well screened from view by underbrush. At dusk they may be seen 

 flitting about like shadows, their flight being the embodiment of grace 

 and accomplished without the slightest sound. As darkness settles 

 over the earth and objects are but dimly seen, Whip-poor-wills go 

 sweeping in graceful curves over the meadows and along the edges of 

 the woods, gorging themselves with the myriads of dusk flying insects 

 and crawling beetles. Sometimes they will alight on the ground and 

 awkwardly hop about after the beetles, and again they will hover 

 around the trunk of a tree feeding upon moths and insects in the crevi- 

 ces of the bark. 



Like the Chuck-will's-widow, they get their name from their call, and 

 a weird note it is, especially on a still clear night when they are partic- 



