THE NIGHTJAR. 259 



a tree or other elevated percli, striking the ear at a consider- 

 able distance. Writing in 1834, the Eev. Andrew Baird, 

 minister of the united parishes of Cockburnspath and Old- 

 cambus, says that the Nightjar has been frequently shot in 

 that locality.^ Mr, Hardy mentions, under date the 1 7th of 

 June 1837, that its " curr," as heard by him on a woodland 

 road overshadowed by oaks in Penmanshiel "Wood, affected 

 the air for a considerable distance, and, when he was within 

 four yards of the bird, "the movement of the pulsations of the 

 air within the ear was not very pleasant." On the 27th of 

 July 1839, he notes that "in Birchy Bank, which is part of 

 the wood below Penmanshiel, lying above the railway tunnel, 

 I surprised a Goatsucker on her nest. She sat still a long time 

 although I could have touched her, but on my putting forth 

 my hand she fled with a loud scream, fluttering in a zigzag 

 manner like a wounded bird. In the nest, which was merely 

 a hole scraped in the mossy soil, with a number of pismires 

 running about in it, were two callow young ; one clothed 

 with down, the other, which was half out of the egg, not 

 showing any covering."^ The nest seems to have been 

 frequently discovered about Penmanshiel in those days, for 

 I find Mr. Hardy again recording, in 1842, that " A Nightjar 

 had its nest in one of our fields called Cuddy's Stele, near 

 Bed Clews Cleugh." Blackburn Eigg, Ewieside, and Dowlaw 

 Dean are mentioned by him as favourite haunts of this bird, 

 and he speaks of hearing its " chuck, chuck " call in the 

 woods there in the gloaming.^ Mr. W. Duns, Duns, has 

 informed me that about thirty years ago the Nightjar used 

 to be rather common about Longformacus,^ and at Buchan's 

 Moor on Cumledge Estate, also at Barrow Mill ; and that 



1 New Stat. Ace. of Scotland, vol. ii., Benvicksliire, p. 291. 



2 Mr. Hardy's MS. Notes. " Ibid. 



* A specimen shot at Longformaciis was exhibited at the meeting of the 

 Berwicksliire Naturalists' Club held at Diins on 27th June 1867.— //w/. Ber. 

 Nat. Club, vol. V. p. 307. 



