THE NIGHTJAK 



(Caprimulgus europceus) 



THE Nightjar, better known in many places as the Goat- 

 sucker or Fern Owl, is one of the most interesting birds that 

 flies in the evening's dusk or under the murky sky of night. 

 It is a summer visitor to this country, arriving here about 

 the middle of May, and returning south again near the period 

 of the autumnal equinox. As the Red Grouse loves the 

 heather, so does the Nightjar love the fern and bracken; and 

 its favourite haunts are on extensive heaths where bramble 

 and brake mingle with the heather. It also delights to 

 frequent the rough broken ground on the borders of the 

 forest, and the open spaces in the woods, where undergrowth 

 is replaced by briars and bracken, and it is not unfrequently 



