NACUNDA GOATSUCKER 5 
mouth. In the Argentine country it has several 
names, being called Dormilén (Sleepy-head) or 
Duerme-duerme (Sleep-sleep), also Gallina ciega (Blind 
Hen). It is a large, handsome bird, and differs from 
its congeners in being gregarious, and in never 
perching on trees or entering woods. It is an in- 
habitant of the open pampas. In Buenos Ayres, and 
also in Paraguay, according to Azara, it is a summer 
visitor, arriving at the end of September and leaving 
at the end of February. In the love season the male 
is sometimes heard uttering a song or call, with notes 
of a hollow mysterious character; at other times 
they are absolutely silent, except when disturbed in 
the daytime, and then each bird when taking flight 
emits the syllable kuf in a hollow voice. When 
flushed the bird rushes away with a wild zigzag 
flight, close to the ground, then suddenly drops like 
a stone, disappearing at the same time from sight 
as effectively as if the earth had swallowed it up, so 
perfect is the protective resemblance in the colouring 
of the upper plumage to the ground. In the evening 
they begin to fly about earlier than most Caprimulgi, 
hawking after insects like swallows, skimming over 
the surface of the ground and water with a swift 
irregular flight ; possibly the habit of sitting in open 
places exposed to the full glare of the sun has made 
them somewhat less nocturnal than other species 
that seek the shelter of thick woods or herbage 
during the hours of light. 
The Nacunda breeds in October, and makes no 
nest, but lays two eggs on a scraped place on the 
