176 OWLS AND OWL-LIKE BIRDS. 



once beyond. There it crouches, tlie great dreamy 

 eyes wide open ; or, if it has young near, it drags 

 itself silently about the ground in the most distressing 

 manner. When put up, it sometimes smites its wings 

 together above its back and utters a sound — ' Co-ic I 

 co-ic I ' As evening falls the Nightjar perches along 

 a bough, rail, or similar support, and utters its far- 

 sounding reel. This is a hollow, throbbing sound, 

 like the gurgling of frogs at evening, or the noise 

 made by a distant reaping-machine, and may be 

 imitated by forcing the breath over the tongue 

 whilst the tip of it is held against the roof of the 

 mouth. The sound is continued indefinitely. At dusk 

 the bird begins its nightly chase of moths and beetles, 

 coasting the woods and skimming the ground as 

 Swallows do when seeking diurnal insects in the same 

 places. The flight is dashing and erratic, and the 

 appearance of the sharp-winged, long-tailed bird is 

 then less like that of an Owl than of a Hawk. This 

 bird is also commonly called the Goatsucker. 



