CAPRIMULGID&. 291 
that month. It is decidedly nocturnal in its habits, 
lying hid under tufts of heather or fern, or under 
rough stones, during the day, and coming abroad in 
the evening in search of its food, which consists of 
insects, mostly nocturnal ones, such as moths, cock- 
chaffers and fern-flies. Yarrell says the young birds 
are easy to rear, and that he has known them kept 
through their first winter, but that they never 
attempted to feed themselves. Meyer, however, says 
that he never succeeded in keeping them alive, even 
by a kitchen fire, after the first two or three frosty 
nights. 
The nest is a very slight affair, merely a hole 
scooped in the ground, under cover of some rough 
plants or stones. 
The plumage of the Nightjar is so minutely 
streaked, freckled and spotted with various shades 
of grey and brown that it is very difficult to describe. 
T shall only attempt a very general description, which 
will be quite sufficient, as it is so peculiar in appear- 
ance that it cannot be mistaken for any other British 
bird, or indeed for anything except some of its own 
family, only one other of which has been recognized 
as British, and that has only occurred once. The 
beak, which is very small, has the upper mandible 
black, the lower one black at the tip and pale brown 
at the base; the mouth, which, when opened, looks 
enormously disproportioned both to the little beak 
and to the head, is pale flesh-colour inside;- the 
2c2 
