88 The Wilson Bulletin— No. 112 



It is apparent that early observers noted some var- 

 iation in the notes themselves and the freqnency with 

 which they were given. It has also been pointed out that 

 the loudness and rapidity of the calls is more or less 

 closely correlated with the time of day or night that the 

 calls are given. On this point Alexander Wilson says: 

 ". . . When two or more males meet, their whip-poor- 

 will altercations become much more rapid and incessant, 

 as if eacli were straining to overpower or silence the other. 

 Wlien near, you often hear an introductory cluck between 

 the notes. . . . Towards midnight they generally become 

 silent, unless in clear moonlight, when they are heard with 

 little intermission till morning." (American Ornithology', 

 V, 72j. 



Regarding the accents of the notes Nuttall writes : 

 " The first and last syllables of this brief ditty receive the 

 strongest emphasis, and, now and then, a sort of gutteral 

 cluck is heard between the repetitions, but the whole phrase 

 is uttered in a little more than a second of time." (Man- 

 ual of Ornithology, I, (JIG ) . A further note concerning 

 this peculiar '"cluck" is given by Cheney: "An eccentric 

 part of the Wliippoorwill's musical performance is the in- 

 troduction of a ' cluck ' immediately after each ' whip- 

 poor-will'; so that the song is a regular, unbrolvcn, rhyth- 

 mical chain from beginning to end. One must be near the 

 singer to hear the ' cluciv ' : otherwise he will mark a rest 

 in its place." (Auk. VIII, 1S!)1, :U) 



In commenting on the rapi<lity and persistence with 

 which the calls are given, Baird, Brewer and Ri<lgway 

 write: "... the cry is so ra])idly enunciated and so in- 

 cessantly re])eated that a fertile imagination may give 

 various interpretations to the sounds. They are never ut- 

 tered when the bird is in motion, but usually at short in- 

 tervals, when resting on a fence, or bush, or any other 

 object near the ground." (Xorth American Birds, II, 415). 



Concerning the time at whicli the bird apparently 

 prefers to call most frequently. Gentry says: " , . . Its 



