at 



269 



The Whip-poor-will is nine inches and a 

 half long, and nineteen inches in extent ; 

 the bill is blackish, a full quarter of an inch 

 long, and bent a little at the point, the under 

 mandible arched a little upwards ; the 

 nostrils are prominent and tubular, their 

 openings directed forward ; the mouth is 

 extravagantly large, of a pale flesh colour 

 within, and beset along the sides with a 

 number of long, thick, elastic bristles, which 

 end in fine hair, and curve inwards ; these 

 seem to serve as feelers ; and prevent the 

 escape of winged insects : the eyes are very 

 large, full, and bluish black ; the plumage 

 above is so variegated with black, pale cream, 

 brown, and rust colour, sprinkled and pow- 

 dered in such minute streaks and spots, as 

 to defy description ; the upper part of the 

 head is of a light brownish gray, marked 

 with a longitudinal streak of black, with 

 others radiating from it ; the back is darker, 

 finely streaked with a less deep black ; the 

 scapulars are very light whitish ochre, beau- 

 tifully variegated with two or three ob- 

 lique streaks of very deep black; the tail is 

 rounded, the three outer feathers on each 

 side are blackish brown for half their length, 

 thence pure white to the tips ; the deep 

 brown of these feathers is regularly studded 

 with light brow-n spots ; the four middle ones 

 are without the white at the ends, but beau- 

 tifully marked with herring-bone figures of 

 black and light ochre finely powdered. The 

 cheeks and sides of the head are of a brown 

 orange colour ; the wings, when shut, reach 

 scarcely to the middle of the tail, and are 

 elegantly spotted with very light and dark 

 brown ; chin black, streaked with brown ; a 

 narrow semicircle of white passes across the 

 throat ; breast and belly irregularly mottled 

 and streaked with black and yellow oclire, 

 legs and feet light purplish flesh colour, 

 seamed with white ; the former feathered 

 before, nearly to the feet ; the two exterior 

 toes are joined to the middle one, as far as 

 the first joint, by a broad membrane ; and 

 the inner edge of the middle claw is pec- 

 tinated, and therefore probably employed as 

 a comb to rid the plumage of its vermin. 

 The female is about an inch less in length 

 and in extent, and differs also in being much 

 lighter on the upper parts. Their food ap- 

 pears to be large moths, grasshoppers, ants, 

 and such insects as frequent the bark of old 

 rotten and decayed timber : they are also 

 expert in darting after winged insects. 

 They will sometimes skim in the dusk, 

 within a few feet of a person, uttering a kind 

 of low chatter as they pass. In their migra- 

 tions north, and on their return, they pro- 

 bably stop a day or two at some of their 

 former stages, and do not advance in one 

 continued flight. This bird, like the owl 

 and other nocturnal flyers, is regarded with 

 a kind of suspicious awe by the weakminded 

 and superstitious. "Night," says Wilson, 

 " to minds of this complexion, brings with it 

 its kindred horrors, its apparitions, strange 

 sounds, and awful sights ; and this solitary 

 nd inoffensive bird being a frequent wan- 

 derer in these hours of ghosts and hobgoblins 

 is considered by the Indians as being, by habit 

 and repute, little better than one of them. 



The CHUCK- WILL'S- WIDOW. Caprimul- 

 yus [Antrostomus] Carolinensis.~) This spe- 

 cies is twelve inches long, and twenty-six 

 in extent ; bill yellowish, tipt with black ; 

 the sides of the mouth are armed with 

 numerous long bristles, strong, tapering, 

 and furnished with finer hairs branching 

 from each ; cheeks and chin rust colour, 

 speckled with black ; over the eye extends 

 a line of small whitish spots ; head and 

 back very deep brown, powdered with rust 

 and cream colour, and marked with long 

 ragged streaks of black ; scapulars broadly 

 spotted with deep black, bordered and in- 



CHOCK-WTLI/8-WIDOW. 

 (Ci.PRIM01.ODS OAROIINENSIS.) 



terspersed with a creamy white : the plu- 

 mage of that part of the neck which falls 

 over the back is long, something like that of 

 a cock, and streaked with yellowish brown ; 

 wing quills barred with black and bright 

 rust ; tail rounded, extending about an inch 

 beyond the tips of the wings ; the middle 

 feathers being powdered with various tints 

 of ferruginous, and elegantly marked with 

 fine zig-zag lines, and large herring-bone 

 figures of black ; exterior edges of the three 

 outer feathers barred like the wings, their 

 interior vanes being pure snowy white, 

 marbled with black ; across the throat is a 

 slight whitish band ; breast black, powdered 

 with rust ; belly and vent lighter ; legs 

 feathered before nearly to the feet, which are 

 of a dirty purplish flesh-colour. 



The Chuck- Will's- Widow, whose notes 

 seem exactly to articulate these words, com- 

 mences its singular call generally in the 

 evening, soon after sunset, and continues it, 

 with short occasional interruptions, for se- 

 veral hours. This note, or call, instantly 

 attracts the attention of a stranger, and is 

 strikingly different from that of the Whip- 

 poor-Will. In sound and articulation it 

 seems plainly to express the words which have 

 been applied to it (&I*** Will's- Widow), 

 pronouncing each syllable leisurely and dis- 

 tinctly, putting the principal emphasis on 

 the last word. In a still evening it may be 

 heard at the distance of nearly a mile, the 

 tones of its voice being stronger and more 

 full than those of the Whip-poor- Will, who 

 utters his with much greater rapidity. The 

 flight of this bird is low, skimming about at 

 a few feet above the surface of the ground, 

 frequently settling on old logs, or on the 

 fences, and from thence sweeping around, in 

 pursuit of various winged insects that fly in 

 the night. Like the Whip-poor- Will, it 

 prefers the declivities of glens and other 

 deeply shaded places, making the surround- 

 ing mountains ring with echoes the whole 



