THE NIGHT-JAR, OR GOAT-SUCKER. 



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V 



Wliip-poor-Will. 



Group of Birds 



The birds of the Night-Jar family spend the hours of day in repose, shrouding themselves from obser- 

 vation in the gloom of woods. At evening they come forth to feed upon such insects as, like themselves, 

 are roused from inertion by the approach of darkness. They take their prey upon the wing. Their beak 

 is small, but the gape is enormous, reminding one of the mouth of a toad. 



The Night-Jar, proper, is found in all parts of Europe, where it is a bird of passage, retiring to Africa to 

 spend the winter. It is called Night-Jar, because in the evening, while on its perch, it utters a. peculiar 

 kind of jarring note. 



The Whip-poor-Will and the Chuck-Wills-Widow are both found in the United States, and derive their 

 singular names from their cry, which is said closely to imitate the words that have been assigned to them 

 as their names. Both the birds fly by night, or rather in the dusk of the evening, and like the owl are 

 much distressed by being forced to face a brilliant light. The Chuck- Will' s-Widow is partially migratory, 

 and dwells in the more southern parts of America during the winter. Audubon relates that this bird 

 applies its enormous mouth to rather an unexpected use, viz., that of removing its eggs, if it finds that 

 they have been disturbed. Of this curious circumstance he was an eye-witness. He saw the bird that 

 first discovered that an intruder had touched the eggs w T ait for its mate, and then saw each of them take 

 an egg in its mouth and convey it off. 



Night-Jar. 



Chuck-Will's Widow. 



Sparrow Hawk. 



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