PICARIAE— (lAPIUMULGIDAE— ANTROSTOMUS N[JTTALLI. 369 



ANTROSTOMUS NDTTALLI (Aud.). 

 Poorwill. 



Caprimulgus nuttalli, Aud., B. Am., vii, 1843, pi. ccccxcv, app.— Woodh., Sitgieave's 

 Exp. Znui & Col. Riv., 1854, 63. 



Antrostomm nuitalH, Bd., Birds N. A., 1858, 149.— ISTewb., P. R. R. Rep. vi 1857 

 77.— Heeem., p. R. R. Rep., x, pt. iv, 1859, 35.— Bd., U. S. & Me'x. Bound! 

 Surv., ii, pt. ii, 1859, Birds, C— Kennerly, P. R. H. Rep., Whipple's 

 Route, X, 1859, 23.— Bd., Ives' Col. Exped., 1857-58, pt. iv, 5.— Henky, 

 Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Pbila., 1859, 106 (New Mexico).-Coop. & Suckl., 

 P. R. R. Rep., xii, pt. ii, 1860, 166.— Hayd., Trans. Am. Pbil. Soc, xii, 1862, 

 157.— CoTJES, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1866,58 (Fort VVbipple, Ariz.).— 

 Cooper, Birds Cal., i, 1870, 340.— Allen, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoiil., JS72, 

 179.- CouES, Key N. A. Birds, 1872, 181.— Snow, Birds Kan., 1872, 6.— 

 Aiken, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., xv, 1872, 200 (Wyoming).— Mereiam, 

 U. S. Geol. Surv. Terr., 1872, 692.— CouES, Am. Nat., vii, 1873, 325.— Bd.^ 

 Brew., & Ridg., N. A. Birds, ii, 1874, 417, pi. 46, f. 3.— Yarrow & Uen- 

 SHAW, Rep. Orn. Specs., 1872, Wheeler's Exped., 1874, 23.— Hen-shaw, An. 

 Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., xi, 1874, 8.— Jrf., An. List Birds Utah, 1872, Wheel- 

 er's Exped., 1874, 47.-2(7., Rep. Orn. Specs., 1873, Wheeler's Exped., 1874, 

 67, 88, 129.— Allen, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., June, 1874, 32.— CouES, 

 Birds Northwest, 1874, 261. 



This Whippoorwill is found in varying numbers throughout the entire 

 Middle and Southera Region, but everywhere it is much more numerous 

 than its relative of the Eastern States, which it entirely replaces in the sec- 

 tions it inhabits. It makes its appearance in the deeply shadowed portions 

 of the river bottoms a few minutes before dusk, and, as soon as night settles 

 down, the rather mournful note oi poor-will, poor-tvill, may be heard comino- 

 from the edges of the woods, and even from the sage brush plains. Their 

 notes are most often noticed in early evening, and again just before dawn, 

 but not infrequently their song is heard through the entire night. When 

 on the wing after insects, their flight consists of rapid, irregular turnings 

 and windings, which are prolonged but a moment or so, when they alight, 

 often on a fallen log, but usually on the bare ground. Occasionally, at 

 dusk, I have seen them alight almost at my feet, without betraying any 

 sense of my presence. When flying, they emit a constantly repeated cluck- 

 ing note, which is, I think, common to both sexes. Their eggs are pure 

 white, without spots, and are deposited on the ground during the latter part 

 of June. 



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