The Rearing of the Night Hawk 135 



earlier hours the male would sometimes swoop down with 

 terrific wing-blast as if to drive away intruders, and he once 

 came and sat by his chick for ten minutes after dusk without 

 causing any excitement. The task of feeding was borne by 

 the mother, and her presence never failed to excite the young. 



I tried to make a flash-light picture of the old and young 

 bird interlocked in the feeding process, and could easily have 

 succeeded had my lamp been of a kind which showed no light 

 before the flash. 



In two weeks the mottled down of the Night Hawk chick 

 has given place to mottled feathers, in which the tints range 

 from dark to light brown or buff. The wing-quills are almost 

 black with buff edges. The fifth quill or primary has a pure 

 white transverse spot near the point of emergence from the 

 feather-tube, the first trace of what becomes a conspicuous mark 

 on the wings of an adult bird. The fledgling is more lively in 

 the daytime, runs about easily, will utter his pe-ur-note, and 

 can flv short distances. 



