ANDERSON — THE BIRDS OF IOWA. 28 1 



until after dark, it often flies in the middle of the daj-, particu- 

 larh' in cloudy weather. Frequently -he Nighthawk performs 

 curious evolutions in the air, swooping rapidly downward with a 

 rush, producing a dull, booming sound as the flight is checked. 

 This habit has given it the name of " Bull-bat" in some localities. 

 In September large scattered flocks are often seen leisurely flying 

 southward for days in succession. 



1 88. (420a). Chordeiles virginianiis hoiryi (Cass.). Western 



Nighthawk. 



This is a lighter colored variety of the Nighthawk in which 

 the gray and fulvous tints exceed the darker colors. It is a bird 

 of the western plains, but specimens have been recorded from 

 western Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin. Kumlien and Hol- 

 lister state: "Three specimens in Kumlien collection (pro- 

 nounced typical by Dr. Coues). Two specimens secured later by 

 Thure Kumlien in September, 1880" (Bds. of Wis., 1903, p. 79). 



County records: Dickinson — "a large flock of the western 

 variety was observed within a short distance of the state line, 

 north of Lake Park, of which one specimen was shot and proved 

 to be the gray western variety ; about Aug. 20, 1895" (Salisbury). 

 Hardin — a male in the Coe College collection, killed Juh' 3, 1902, 

 b}^ Dr. B. H. Bailey, near Owasa, on the Iowa River, is very light 

 colored on the w'ings, approaching very closely to C. v. henryi. 

 Johnson — "Johnson county, Iowa, specimens in University 

 museum" (C. C. Nutting, Proc. Iowa Acad. Sci., i, 1892, p. 41). 



189. (420c). Chordeiles virginianus scnnetti (Coues). Sennett 



Nighthawk. 



The Sennett Nighthawk is an extremely pale variety inhabit- 

 ing the unw'ooded country from Texas to Dakota. A silvery 

 grayish-white coloration predominates above, the white below 

 greatly in excess of the narrow, irregular or broken dark bars, 

 and there is little or no rufous anywhere. 



The first published record for Iowa is by Dr. Paul Bartsch 

 (Auk., xvi, 1899, p. 86): "The Smithsonian Institution recently 

 received a specimen of Sennett' s Nighthawk from Mr. C. F. Hen- 

 ning of Boone, Iowa, taken four miles .southwest of that place. 

 This variety seems so far to have e.scaped Iowa observers and it 

 gives me pleasure to add it to our list." 



