THE NIGHTJAR 199 



tunity occurred for so doing, in the belief that they 

 would be performing a duty to the public. How 

 such a superstition ever originated it is difficult to 

 imagine, and much the same may be said regard- 

 ing most superstitions. It is but a few days ago 

 that a friend of mine had occasion to question an 

 old man who works in his garden as to the dis- 

 appearance of some yellow crocuses, and was 

 informed that they were there. ( Where are they, 

 then ?' asked my friend ; ' I can see plenty of 

 snowdrops, but the crocuses have vanished. 

 ' Oh, they have changed into snowdrops, I sup- 

 pose,' was the reply. * Changed into snowdrops ! 

 What on earth do you mean ?' ' Oh, they often 

 does that ; I've knowed them do it many a time.' 

 And this the old man adhered to and most fully 

 believed, nor could he be convinced to the con- 

 trary. I strongly suspect that the rooks could 

 have easily explained all about the crocuses. 



The name of nightjar, or night-churr, very well 

 describes the note of the bird, which is of a burr- 

 ing or whizzing character, as it hawks after such 

 insects as are abroad in the summer evenings. 

 Nor is the appellation of ' dor-hawk ' less appro- 

 priate, since the word ' dor ' has reference to the 

 dor-beetle, or cockchafer, which insect the bird 

 preys upon. 



The chief peculiarities in the conformation of 

 the nightjar are its enormous mouth, exceedingly 

 short and tender beak, short legs, and great 

 length of wing. Its flight is noiseless and rapid, 



