138 Birds of Pennsylvania. 



insects, and in the fall and winter season, eat in addition to insect- 

 food, berries, wild cherries, smalj^peds of grasses, etc. 



ORDER MACROCHIRES. OOATSUrKERS AND SWIFTS. 



Suborder CAPRIMULGI. Goatsuckers. 



Family CAPRIMULGID.^. Goatsuckers. 



Genus ANTROSTOMUS. Gould. 



417. Antrostomus vociferus (Wils.). 



Whip-poor-will. 



{Plate. 2S.) 



Length about 10 inches ; extent of wings about 18 Inches. 

 Hah. — Eastern ITnited States to the plains, south to Guatemala. 



The name of '' Goatsuckers," given to members of this family, 

 originated from a silly notion that the European species sucked the 

 teats of goats. Jt is misleading and should be abolished. 



Although the Whip poor- will and Night Hawk are generally re- 

 garded, by those who are not versed in ornithology, as the same bird, 

 it can readily be seen, by referring to plate 23, that they differ greatly. 

 It will be observed that the Whip-poor-will has conspicuous, long and 

 stiff bristles at the base of bill ; the bill of the Night Hawk is not fur- 

 nished with long, conspicuous and stiff bristles. The Whip-poor-will 

 has no white spot on the primaries ; the Night Hawk has a well-marked 

 spot of white on five outer primaries. The white on tail of males of 

 both species is also different. In the Whip-poor-will the lower half, 

 of the three outer tail featers, is white; Night Hawk has a broad 

 white bar crossing the tail (except middle feathers) near the tip. The 

 males, both species, have transverse white throat bars. The female 

 Whip-poor-will has a tawny throat bar, and inconspicuous terminal 

 spots of the same color on lateral tail feathers. Female Night Hawk, 

 throat bar tawny, white spot on wing, but no terminal patch of white 

 crossing tail. 



The Whip-poor-will is a rather common summer resident in the 

 wooded and mountainous portions of Pennsylvania. It arrives in this 

 locality from April 22 to May 1, and migrates southward in Septem- 

 ber. The Whip-poor-will migrates singly or in pairs, and, unlike the 

 Night Hawk, is never to be found in flocks. The Whip-poor-will is 

 nocturnal in habits, and is seldom seen during the day unless acci- 

 dentally discovered in a state of repose, when, if started, it rises and 



