274 General Notes. [^ 



direction parallel to the ship's course. It soon turned, however, and 

 presently joined us, and from that time on was seldom out of sight for 

 more than five minutes at a time. Sometimes it would dash the length 

 of the hurricane deck, under the awning, and literally fan the faces of the 

 passengers with its wings; and again it would follow in the ship's wake 

 for a few minutes, flying at a height of about forty feet above the water. 

 Occasionally it would rest for awhile on the rigging or top deck, and 

 then be off again over the ocean, coursing about with a free, easy flight, 

 somewhat like that of a Bonaparte's Gull, but with an element of the 

 straightforward flapping and sailing of a Hawk or Owl. We soon 

 learned about how soon to expect it back, after one of its nights, but it 

 was quite as likely to come back from a corner opposite to that in which 

 we had seen it disappear. Occasionally it would drop lightly into the 

 water, as it did when it made the first flight to seaward at two o'clock, 

 and it was evident, that, unnatural as this seemed, it did it for pleasure, 

 and not from exhaustion, as we had previously supposed. Its whole 

 manner was one of complete ease and grace, as though it were a sea-bird, 

 and entirely accustomed to following ships in broad daylight; indeed, it 

 seemed to be more willing to leave the vicinity of the ship for minutes 

 at a time, than any Gull or Petrel. And this was a Chuck-will's-widow, 

 that strictly nocturnal, forest-loving bird, to be found in the daytime 

 only in the hollow of some tree, or on the ground in the shadiest parts 

 of the woods! 



At about five o'clock the idea occurred to me that there might be more 

 than one, for although the bird was fully as active in its excursions, often 

 disappearing in the distance, there seemed always to be one near us. 

 Resolved to determine this point, I climbed up to the superstructure, 

 where I could get a good view of the whole ship and surrounding ocean. 

 The Chuck-will's-widow had just come back from an unusually long 

 flight, and had alighted on a rope about ten feet above the deck on which 

 I stood. After watching some time for others, and not seeing any, I 

 tried to see how near I could get to the perching bird. The rope on 

 which it sat was stretched at an angle of about 45 from the deck to a 

 point twelve feet up a mast, and the bird was perched crosswise on it a few 

 feet from the top. Beside the mast stood a large ventilating funnel, and 

 by keeping on the opposite side of this, I was enabled to creep up 

 unobserved to within twelve feet of the bird. When I had gotten as near 

 as possible, I cautiously peered out from behind the funnel, and had a 

 good look at a beautiful female Chuck-will's-widow. It was so near that 

 I could see every marking and every slightest motion. Occasionally she 

 would half open her great mouth, as though yawning, and the curious 

 barbed bristles fringing it would vibrate like the antenna; of a moth. 

 Finding that she did not take alarm at my presence, I stepped out from 

 behind the funnel, and got exactly under the bird, but she showed no 

 signs of agitation, beyond opening to her full, her beautiful deep eyes, 

 which up to that time had been half shut. Having studied her as long as 



