CHAP. VIL NIGHT BIRDS. 125 



was so dark that he could scarcely see it. He did 

 not know that it was a hawk. He thought it was a 

 goatsucker by its flight. Many of the birds of prey 

 roamed about by night as well as by day. The harsh 

 scream of the heron, the quack of the wild duck, the 

 piping of the kittyneedy (common sandpiper), the 

 birbeck of the muirfowl, the wail of the plover, the 

 curlee of the curlew, and the loom of the snipe, were 

 often heard at night, in the regions frequented by 

 these birds. Then again, by the sea-side, he would 

 hear by night the shrill piping of the redshank and 

 ring-dotterel, and the pleck-pleck of the oyster-catcher, 

 as they came down from their breeding-grounds to 

 the shore, to feed or to hold their conclaves. 



The Coot and Water-hen sometimes get very noisy 

 after sunset. The Landrail craiks the whole night 

 through, until some time after the sun rises. The 

 Partridge too either moves about or is on the alert 

 during spring and summer, as may be known by its 

 often repeated twirr-twit^r. " The only bird we have 

 here," says Edward, " that attempts to give music at 

 the dead hours of night, is the Sedge-warbler. It 

 appears to be possessed of the gift of song during the 

 night as well as the day, and it is by no means nig- 

 gardly in exercising its vocal powers. 



"Well do I remember," he continues, "how the 

 little mill-worker, of scarcely ten years of age, was 

 struck with admiration and almost bewildered with 

 delight, at the first of this species he had ever beard 



