NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 283 



tee county, taken May 14, 1887, measure 1.39x1.00, 1.41x1.02. A set taken, in Comal 

 county, Texas, April 22, 1888, measure 1.41x1.02, 1.42x1.04. These are beautiful eggs, 

 with a pinkish-buff ground, variously marbled with pale buff-brown and lilac-gray. 

 They are moderately polished. Mr. C. W. Crandall, of Woodside, N. Y., has kindly 

 given me the measurements and descriptions of 56 sets of this species' eggs, all col- 

 lected in Mississippi, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida, the earliest date being 

 April 3, the latest June 24. In every instance the eggs were laid either on the bare 

 ground or on a few dry leaves, especially in Hillsboro county, Fla., where the eggs 

 were always laid on some dry leaves, among scrub oaks, in the hummocks. At other 

 places the eggs were sometimes found at the foot of a tree and usually in thick 

 woods. Concerning the coloration of this bird's eggs Mr. Crandall says: "The 

 ground color varies from almost a pure white to a rich dark cream, pinkish buff and 

 other creamy shades. The markings consist of about every known type of spots, 

 specks, blotches, cloudings, marbling, lines, streaks and scratches of every con- 

 ceivable pattern; sometimes all of these appear on one egg and in others the egg 

 will only show two or three styles of markings, the small end occasionally catches 

 them, but the typical egg shows them generally distributed, and in the majority of 

 specimens they form more or less of a zone around larger half .of the egg." The 

 average measurement of this series of fifty-six sets (one hundred and twelve eggs) 

 is 1.41x1.01 inches. The largest measures 1.54x1.05, the smallest 1.29x.90 inches. 



417. WHIP-POOR-WILL. Antrostomus vociferus (Wlls.) Geog. Dist. East- 

 ern United States to the Plains, and from Lat. 50 south to Guatemala. 



The well-known Whip-poor-will, which inhabits the Eastern United States, may 

 be easily distinguished from A. carolinensis by its greatly inferior size; the colors of 

 both birds are quite similar. In its habits the Whip-poor-will is very nearly 'the 

 counterpart of the Chuck*-will's-widow, keeping within the recesses of deep woods 

 and undergrowth during the daytime, remaining perfectly silent. The name of this 

 species is a pretty accurate rendering of its note, which is uttered when night comes 

 on, both when the bird is on the wing in pursuit of nocturnal insects, or at rest. 

 Rocky ravines shaded by trees, where the sun seldom penetrates the thick foliage, 

 or beneath dense underbrush, midst fallen logs, are the favorite nesting places of 

 the Whip-poor-will. The eggs are deposited on the ground, on decayed wood, or 

 among fallen leaves. Two eggs constitute a set. They are elliptical, of moderate 

 polish, with a ground color of white or cream color. They are handsomely marked 

 with large and small spots of yellowish-brown distributed, rather abundantly over 

 the entire surface; occasionally a few blotches may be observed. Deep shell marks 

 are about as numerous as the surface marks, and are of a lilac-gray or lavender tint. 

 A set of two eggs which I took in Franklin county, Ohio, May 28, 1887, measure 

 l.lSx.90, 1.20x.90; a set from Delaware county, Ohio, collected June 2, 1888, measure 

 1.14x.87, 1.16x.86. Dr. Jones gives a common size as 1.12x.88. Like the Chuck-will's- 

 widow this species removes in its mouth the eggs or young to a place of safety if 

 they have been molested or handled. 



417a. STEPHENS'S WHIP-POOR-WILL. Antrostomus vociferus macromy- 

 stax (Wagler.) Geog. Dist. Arizona, New Mexico, and table lands of Mexico, south 

 to Guatemala. 



This is a larger bird than the last. Mr. F. Stephens met with it in, the Chiraca- 

 hua Mountains in Southern Arizona in 1880, and less numerous in the Santa Rita 

 range in 1881. In the Chiracahua range by June 1st, they were as common as he 



