Descriptive List 



197 



182. Antrostomus carolinensis (Gmel.). Chuck-will's-widow. 



Description: Ad. male. — Uppcrparts streaked with black and finely mottled with ocluaceous- 

 buff and black; primaries black, with broken rufous bars; tail mottled with black and oclu'aceous- 

 buff, the end half of all but the two middle feathers white, more or less washed with buffy on the 

 inner vane; underparts mottled with black, ochraceous, and cream-buff; an imperfect whitish 

 band across the upper breast; base of the biU beset with long, stiffened bristles, the basal half 

 of these bristles grown with hairlike branches. Ad. female. — Similar, but with no white patches 

 in the tail, the upper breast with an ocliraceous-buff instead of white band. !<., 12.00; W., 8.50; 

 T., 6.00; B., .40. (Chap., Birds of E. N. A.) 



Range. — South Atlantic and Gulf States, north to southern Illinois. 



Range in North Carolina. — Lower Austral region of State, ranging inland as far at least as 

 Raleigh and Chapel Hill. 



Fig. 151. Chuck-will's-widow. 



The Chuck--wiirs-widow is a common l^ird in all the Lower Austral region of 

 the State, and is one of the most characteristic birds of that region, it replacing the 

 Whip-poor-will in summer over most of the eastern part of the State. At Raleigh 

 it arrives about the end of the third week in April and has been noted as late as 

 September 21. Wliat few dates we have from eastern localities agree vnth these. 



The cry begins with a short chuck, followed by a distinct double note, which alone 

 is heard unless one is close enough to distinguish the chuck. We have heard people 

 call it the " Will's-widow," apparently from the two notes only. 



The bird stays mostly in thick, deep woods, where in May or June it lays its 

 two beautifully marked eggs, on the dead leaves, in some secluded spot. They are 

 pinkish buff, marbled and spotted wdth various shades of olive-gray and brown. 

 Size about 1.40 x .97. 



Although mainly insectivorous, C. S. Brimley once killed a specimen that had 

 swallowed a Carolina Wren, and Bendire cites several other instances of its bird- 

 eating propensities. 



There is a widespread impression that the Chuck-will's-widow is the male Whip- 

 poor-\vill. Its note is frequently interpreted by negroes as "Chip-fell-out-o'-white- 

 oak" and "T\\-ixt-hell-and-white-oak." 



183. Antrostomus vociferus vociferus {Wils.). Whip-poor-will. 



Description. — Grayish, very much variegated with blackish and buffy, a white crescent on 

 breast, and in the male ends of outertail-feathers white, but these last buffy in the female. The 

 wings, when closed, do not reach to the end of the tail. L., 9.75; W., 6.25; T., -1.75. 



