THE BIRDS OF RAINHAM. 51 



fly at a greater elevation than the Swallows, it may 

 be they feed upon another kind of insect, for when 

 the air, high and low, swarms with flies, they know 

 their own respective boundaries. 



NIGHTJAR. 

 Caprimulgus Europoeus, Linn. 



The Nightjar comes to us when our woods are 

 getting into leaf and the moths are coming out, 

 which is not before the middle of the month of 

 May. 



On a still summer's evening their rattling notes 

 can be heard far away. They breed in our three- 

 years old coppice, choosing the driest spot they can 

 find, under shelter with an open space above. 



I am able to relate a most singular occurrence 

 which happened to me on the 2ist day of June, 

 1869. When taking a walk at evening time and 

 towards dusk, adjoining one of our Rainham woods, 

 I had the pleasure of falling in with a chorus of 

 notes, quite a novelty to me, lasting for about twenty 

 minutes, when at nine o'clock, the music gradually 

 ceased. It was as if all the Nightjars, Cuckoos and 

 Cricket-birds in the district had assembled together 

 for a premature and simultaneous departure. The 

 dew was heavy and the wood struck very cold, so I 

 wished them all good night and good-bye for 

 the season ; I did not hear or see any of them 

 again. 



E 2 



