158 



VERTEBRATES : BIRDS. 



Whippoorwill. A . vociferus, Bonap. 



without lateral 

 filaments. The 

 general color is 

 similar to that 

 of the preced- 

 ing, the top of 

 the head ashy 

 gray, longitudi- 

 nally streaked 

 with black. Its notes are three, and have a fancied re- 

 semblance to the syllables whip-poor-will, and bence its 

 name. It begins its song soon after sunset, and continues 

 till late at night ; then remains silent till near the dawn, 

 when it resumes and continues till sunrise. During the 

 day the Whippoorwill sleeps upon the ground, or on fallen 

 trunks of trees, or on low branches, and may often be ap- 

 proached to within a few feet before it flies. It is said 

 that it always sits with its body parallel to the branch on 

 which it alights, and never across it. Its eggs are always 

 two, short elliptical, much rounded, and nearly equal at 

 both ends ; the color greenish white, spotted and blotched 

 with bluish gray and light brown. These are laid in 

 May, on the bare ground or on dry leaves, and in the 

 most secluded parts of the thickets. 



Nuttall's Whippoorwill, A. Nuttalli, Cass., of the high 

 central plains and westward to the Pacific coast, is eight 

 inches long, the wing five and a half inches. 



The Genus Chordeiles has the bill without bristles, or 

 with very feeble ones, the wings very long and pointed, 

 tail narrow, forked, and plumage rather compact. 



The Night-Hawk, C. popetue, Baird, of North America 

 generally, is nine and a half inches long, and the wing 

 over eight inches, and is so well known as to require no 

 further description here. Night-Hawks are not strictly 

 nocturnal, as the name implies ; but are often upon the 



