Oiclei MACEOCHIRES. 



Family CAPRIMULUID^. 



ANTBOSTOMUS TOCIFERUS (Wilson). (417.) 



WHIP-POOR-WILL. 



This weird night-bird, so familiar and so dear to all who 

 have listened to its song in childhood, reaches southern Minne- 

 sota generally about the first of May, and the latitude of Min- 

 neapolis about five days later. It seems to be rather local in 

 its distribution, choosing high, dry land forests, bordering 

 lakes, streams, low lands and swamps, where its peculiar 

 forms of insect food presumably most abounds, which consists 

 largely of nocturnal moths and mosquitoes. Characteristic as 

 is its song, giving the bird its vernacular name as it does, 

 when an attempt is made to formulate it in words ears hear it 

 ditferently. so that instead of the time honored ivhip-poor-will, 

 ivhip-poor-icill, Langville hears chick-koo-rhee. If quite near 

 the bird at the time of its vociferations we often hear a 

 preceding "chuck" that is not included in either form of word- 

 ing. About the tenth of May the two characteristic eggs are 

 layed on the ground without any signs of a nest except a 

 slight hollowing of the earth, usually near an old decaying log. 

 The ground color varies greatly in the depth of its shade, but is 

 rather of a creamy -white in most cases and marbled or mottled 

 with scratches and blotches of light brown and lavender. The 

 eggs are nearly elliptical, giving either end nearly the same 

 form. The Whip-poor-will leaves us as a general thing about 

 the 10th of September, sometimes (1873) as late as the 20th, or 

 even later. It was still present in the vicinity of Lanesboro, 

 Fillmore county, on the 8th of October, 1884, as reported by 

 Dr. Hvoslef . When a small boy I lived two years near a piece 

 of heavily timbered woodland through which ran a stream of 

 water. This bird, with many of other species, occupied those 



