140 



meiit which sloped off sharply to Cherry Creek. The hill was covered 

 with young willows, weeds and old drj' leaves. Large red oaks were 

 scattered plentifully here and there. The top i-ail on the fence broke with 

 my weight and I dropped with a crash on the other side. It seemed that 

 at almost the same time, I heard a loud chuck. About five feet in front 

 of me a female AVhip-poor-Avill was lying; she looked as if I had fallen 

 upon her. She lay with outspread wings, with head and tail up, the middle 

 part of her 1)ody sagging down as if her back were broken. Somewhat 

 deceived, I started toward her but she edged away, still going through 

 various contortive tricks. I looked around and stepped cautiously in the 

 direction from which I thought she came, the frightened bird, all the 

 while, giving a series of angry chucks. Finally in a bunch of poison ivy, 

 I found an elliptical brown and lilac spotted egg in the least indentation 

 in the dry leaves. About six inches away was the shell of another egg. 

 But where was the young bird? At last I saw it; not only saw it but 

 comprehended that it was a young Whip-poor-will. It lay close to the 

 egg, and looked something like a piece of mouldy earth. A few feet away 

 it seemed to fade right into the ground. It was perfectly helpless and 

 was apparently not more than an hour old. I took a negative of it and 

 left immediately so as to allow the mother to go back on the nest. AA'hen 

 I stole back softly, in five minutes, she was brooding. She resembled 

 perfectly the dead leaves around her. If she had not been frightened by 

 the breaking rail. I would never have discovered her. I left at eleven 

 o'clock (June 21) and returned at four o'clock that afternoon and the un- 

 hatched egg was chipped in one place. I reached the nest next morning 

 at eight o'clock and young Whip-poor-will No. 2 was just out of the shell. 

 There was still a piece of shell sticking to the down on its back. I judged 

 that No. 2 was about twenty-one hours younger than No. 1. I took a neg- 

 ative of the two young ones and left. I had read that a mother Whip-poor- 

 will carried her young away a distance if they are handled. I resolved, 

 therefore, although I did not put much faith in the statement, to build a 

 pen around the nest. This I did on the afternoon of June 28. AVhen 1 

 went up softly I could now put my hand within two feet of the old female 

 before she would move. AVhen she did go she jumped up in a hurry, 

 kicking the young several inches apart, where they lay very still. She 

 would fall within three or four feet of me and go through the broken back 

 performance, giving at the same time hoarse but vigorous chucks. After 



