THE NIGHTJARS 



1807 



flying over the heather or the fields in the twilight, often, as it flies, producing a 

 clapping noise, apparently by striking its wings together, above its back, like a 

 pigeon. The ' ' churring ' ' note which the birds make is familiar to all dwellers in 

 the country, and hence its name of churn owl, by which it is known in many dis- 

 tricts. Waterton has recorded the notes of one of the species in Demerara as repre- 

 sented by the words, work away! work, work, work away! Another calls, who are 

 you? who, who are yori? While another cries mournfully, willy-come-go! willy, willy, 

 willy-come-go! and a fourth, the one represented in the preceding figure (C. vir- 

 ginianus), tells you to whip-poor-will! whip-poor-will! in tones wonderfully clear and 

 startling. 



STANDARD-WINGED NIGHTJAR. 

 (One-half natural size.) 



The beautiful and rare bird {Macrodipteryx macrodipterus) thus 

 ir named is but seldom obtained in its full perfection of plumage, since 

 the peculiar, long-shaped primary, which forms the distinguishing characteristic of 

 the genus, is often missing or not developed. The male of the L,eona nightjar has 

 the ninth primary quill developed to an extraordinary length with the shaft of the 

 feather bare and ending in a racket, so that, as the bird flies, the wing has a long 

 pennant, or streamer, on each side. This is probably only developed in the breed- 

 ing season, and is not found in the female. The species is only found in Africa, 



