I lO Among the Birds in N^orthcrn Shires. 



a crowd of civilized enemies of all countries and 

 creeds, finding fewer, if any, human persecutors 

 amidst the dusky heathen races of Africa, whither it 

 retires after visiting us. It is one of our latest birds 

 of passage, not even reaching the southern parts of 

 England before the end of April or early May — 

 a date which is not quite coincident with Its arrival 

 in the northern shires, which it does not reach much 

 before the middle of the latter month. The life- 

 history of this pretty and much -maligned bird is 

 packed full of interest. Unfortunately the Nightjar 

 is only abroad of its own choice during hours when 

 darkness renders observation difficult; we must per- 

 force crowd most of our scrutiny into the twilight 

 hour, and just before the rising of the sun. The 

 bird, like the bat and the Owl, sleeps during the 

 daytime, either crouched flat upon the ground under 

 the bracken or underwood, or seated lengthwise on 

 some broad flat branch of a tree where dense foliage 

 gives the shade and gloom it seeks, and Avhere its 

 beautifully mottled and vermiculated plumage har- 

 monizes most closely with surrounding tints. It is 

 said that the Nightjar sometimes comes abroad during 

 mid-day, and that it even calls at that time, but such 

 has never been our experience of this species, and 

 we should be inclined to think that when seen out 

 and about at such a time it had been disturbed from 

 its diurnal resting-place. At the approach of even- 



