OKDER INSESSOR£iS 



Family CAPaiMULGiD.E — The Goat Suckeks. 



This family obtained its name from tlie mistaken idea that 

 the Europeyn species, Ccipriinulfjus Europeus^ obtained 

 its living by sucking the goats; and it is rather strange that 

 this, or a like notion, prevailed in different countries of the 

 Old World from a very early day down almost to our own 

 times. 



This popular belief originated in the fact that the bird 

 was always seen flying about in the dusk of the evening, 

 and often in the neighborhood of cattle and flocks, with its 

 mouth wide oj^en, in the manner of all the known species 

 of its family. In such locations (he bird obtained an abun- 

 dant supply of the insects upon which it feeds exclusively, 

 and this idea that possessed the popular mind shows how 

 readily men may be deceived, unless guided by close and 

 accurate scientific examination. 



But this is not all, for many denied the bird the faculty 

 of seeing in the usual manner, saying that it turned its eyes 

 downwards and looked through the roof of its mouth. All 

 manner of crimes and misdemeanors have been laid to this 

 poor bird's charge, but they are now swept away by the 

 clear light of knowledge, and the supposed culprit is found 

 to be highly useful m destroying hosts of insects. Our 

 American species of the family are exclusively insect feed- 

 ers, and never eat fruit or any vegetable raMtter whatever. 

 They pursue their prey on the wing, in the manner of swal- 

 lows, to whom they are nearly allied; but, unlike them, 

 always select the evening, or at least very cloud}^ weather 

 for flight. 



There is a resemblance, in snmo points, between this fam- 

 ily and the owls. Like them, their plumage is soft and 



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