Widmann — A Preliminary Catalog of the Birds of Missouri. 129 



Their general departure is taken in September, but occasionally 

 we meet one in early October, up to the 10th of that month. 

 In migration queer places are sometimes resorted to for a day's 

 rest, as for instance a brushy sinkhole by the side of a frequented 

 street in a suburb of St. Louis, April 8, 1899. In the southern 

 half of the state the first Whip-poor-wills are heard in the first 

 half of April, in the northern between the tenth and last of the 

 month. Eggs have been found in St. Louis county, April 24, but 

 cool weather retards laying until May . From many suitable patch- 

 es of woodland the species has disappeared, or visits them in mi- 

 gration only, because driven away by pasturing animals, too 

 many of which are kept on a small area, devastating the under- 

 brush and tramping everything under feet. Where hogs are 

 kept no ground-builder can long survive as they destroy both eggs 

 and unfledged young and are in this respect as bad as, or worse 

 than, cats or dogs. In the low southeastern counties, where that 

 part of the area not subject to yearly inundation is now given up 

 to agriculture, the Whip-poor-will is only an occasional transient 

 visitant as it is in most of the woodland in the flood-plains of 

 the large rivers. 



*418. Phalaenoptilus nuttallii (Aud.). Poor-will. 



Caprimulgus nuttallii. Antrostomus nuttallii. Nuttall's Whip-poor-will. 



Geog. Dist. — Western United States, east to southeastern 

 Dakota, eastern Nebaska and eastern Kansas; north to central 

 Idaho and Montana, also to interior of British Columbia, west to 

 Cascades and Sierra Nevada. In winter south from southern 

 border of United States to Guatemala. 



In Missouri found by Mr. H. Nehrling in Lawrence Co. in 

 1885 and probably a rare summer resident in western Missouri, 

 as he heard its call regularly in May and June. Mr. B. F. Bush 

 also heard the bird in McDonald and Barry Counties and thinks 

 it must breed there. Eggs were taken June 1 , 1886, at Richmond, 

 Kansas., within 35 miles of the state line. 



[418a. Phalaenoptilus nuttallii nitidus Brewst. Frosted 



Poor- will.] 



Geog. Dist. — ^Texas to Arizona; north to Kansas; south to 

 Mexico. 



A female shot by Col. N. S. Goss September 23, 1881, at Neosho 

 Falls, Kan., 35 miles west of Missouri has been identified as be- 



