34 



WHIP-POOR-WILLS are known by 

 sound by nearly everyone who lives or 

 has spent a few summer nights in 

 rural districts, but comparatively few 

 know the birds by sight. Observe that 

 tlie tail is rounded, with white on the 

 ends of the outer feathers and that the 

 primaries, or long- wing feathers are 

 barred. The birds commonly seen fly- 

 ing about over cities or pastures about 

 dusk are Nighthawks; tliey have fork- 

 ed tails and a white band across the 

 middle of the tail and wing feathers. 

 Their note is a nasal "peent" while 

 tliat of the Whip-poor-will is a rapidly 

 tvhistled, many times repeated repetition 

 of tlieir name, with the accent on the 

 last syllable. 



Their food consists entirely of insects 

 which they catch in their cavernous 

 mouths, — sometimes even the largest 

 of moths. They lay their two mottled 

 eggs among the dead leaves in open 

 AA'oods. They are never abroad during 

 daylight unless disturbed from their 

 roosting places which may be on logs, 

 limbs or on the ground. 



these Swifts alight in trees. I have several times seen them 

 alight on the ground to take dust baths. Their only notes 

 are a rapid chippering as they wheel about through the 

 sky. 



NIGHTHAWKS are hawks only in the sense that they 

 "hawk" through the air after moths and other winged in- 

 sects. They are often, confused with Whip-poor-wills 

 which birds are more nocturnal and are rarely seen at any 

 time, although their voices may often be heard. The pres- 

 ent species can very readily be recognized though, even at 

 a long distance, for the throat is white, the wings have a 

 band of white across the outer feathers and the slightly 

 forked tail also has a band of white near the end. 



Nighthawks may be seen almost any summer day towards 

 dusk coursing over meadows or sweeping over cities gath- 

 ering their insect food. They are very graceful in flight, 

 as might be expected of birds having such long, narrow 

 wings — now sweeping downward in a long curve, then 

 soaring to the heights again. Occasionally one will dive 

 down almost perpendicularly from a great elevation, the 

 air passing through his wing feathers, when he checks the 

 mad rush to turn upwards, making a strange, dull booming 

 sound. Daytime, unless it be cloudy weather, when they ' 



