THE NIGHTJAR, 161 



And Walter Scott makes Goldthred sing a joyous song 

 anent the owl : 



" Of all the birds on bush or tree, 



Commend me to the owl, 

 Since he may best ensample be 



To those the cup that trowl. 

 For, when the sun hath left the west, 

 He chooses the tree that he loves best, 

 And he whoops out his song and laughs at his jest. 



Then, though hours be late and weather foul, 



We'll drink to the health of the bonny, bonny owl." 



This owl has a number of provincial names Tawny 

 Hooting-Owl, Jenny-Howlet, Hoot-Owl, 'Ollering-Owl, 

 Wood-Owl, Ivy-Owl, &c. 



THE NIGHTJAR. 



Should we happen, on leaving the river in the shades 

 of evening, to cross on our way homeward a bit of ferny 

 heath or dry field near a copse, our attention is aroused 

 by hearing a peculiar snap, snap in the air, and a hawk- 

 like bird will pass on its silent way close by us. This is 

 the NIGHTJAR or DOR-HAWK (Caprimulgus Europceus). It 

 has many other provincial names, as Fern-Owl, Night-Hawk, 

 Churn-Owl, Evejar, Goat-Sucker, Puckeridge. All these 

 names are derived from the supposed habits of the bird. 

 Gilbert White says the country-people have a notion that 

 the fern-owl, which they also call Puckeridge, is very 

 injurious to weaning calves, by inflicting, as it strikes 

 at them, the fatal distemper known to cow-leeches by the 

 name of Puckeridge. It is probable that the cow-leeches 

 of that day were very ignorant, and attributed this power 

 to the bird to account for a disease which they knew 

 nothing about. 



In Italy the bird is accused of sucking goats ; hence 

 its name, Caprimulgus, or Goat-Sucker. It is needless to 

 remark that all these supposed propensities have no exist- 

 ence. The bird lives entirely on insects, chiefly beetles. 

 It is particularly fond of the dor-beetle the shardborne 

 beetle of Shakespeare which often rushes by us of an 



