THE NIGHTJAR AND THE SWALLOW. 43 
confers a benefit upon us which can only be realised 
by those who know the mischievous capabilities of 
its victims, while the counter-accusations which have 
from time to time been brought against the bird 
have invariably proved, when carefully looked into, 
to rest upon no foundation whatever. ‘The trial of 
The Nightjar. 
the nightjar, in fact, has from first to last resulted 
in favour of the defendant, and the bird has left the 
court of inquiry without a stain upon its character. 
No doubt the old belief in the nightjar’s illicit 
proceedings with regard to milch kine originated 
in the frequency with which the bird was, and is, 
to be seen in close proximity to cattle after nightfall, 
