Animals that Wear Disguises 



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ONE of our commonest birds is the whip- 

 poor-will, yet, though constantly heard, 

 he is rarely seen. This is because he 

 goes abroad only in the hours of darkness. 



He does not seek security there by hiding, 

 but squats boldly upon a log. His plumage is 

 mottled gray and brown, like old bark, yet this 

 would not suffice to conceal him if he sat cross- 

 wise, as birds generally do, so he sits lengthwise, 

 and at once falls into the appearance of a stub 

 of a broken branch. He disguises himself as 

 a " bump on a log." 



But some of his relatives in other parts of 

 the world do even better. Down in the Antilles 

 there is a goatsucker as all of this family have 

 long been called, though none really rob the 

 goats of their milk, and hence nightjar is a bet- 

 ter family name which is abroad during the 

 ^ 114 



