NIGHTJAR— BLUE ROLLER 101 



Two species of these birds occur in Europe, both of which have the mottled 

 black, brown, and grey plumage characteristic of the group. In general appear- 

 ance they are much alike, but one is larger than the other, and has a rufous neck. 

 Both lay their two eggs, which are white marbled with grey and brown, on the 

 bare ground, without any pretence at a nest. The typical nightjar (Caprimulgus 

 europceus), the smaller species, frequents open and often heathy localities with 

 solitary old trees and wide woodland paths. Its partiality for fern has gained it 

 the name of fern-owl, its name of nightjar being a corruption of night-churr 

 from its call, while its name of goatsucker is derived from an erroneous popular 

 belief. It is found all over central and southern Europe and western Asia, 

 ranging northward to central Sweden and southward into Africa. It goes south 

 in August and September, to return in the middle of April. The eggs are laid 

 in the beginning of June in some shady place among fern or heather or under 

 a gorse-bush. Both parents defend the young ; if the sitting hen be alarmed, she 

 flutters along the ground as if lame, and when young are in the nest both old 

 birds will fly right at the enemy, the male making curious movements of its tail. 



Nightjars appear to feed their young in the same way as pigeons, taking the 

 nestling's head into their wide jaws and pushing down the food with their tongues. 

 They are birds of the twilight, living during the day on the ground, on some low 

 tree, or on a large bough ; their coloration being such that they are not easily 

 distinguished. In hopping they stretch out their necks and hold their bodies 

 quite straight, and they always sit lengthwise on a branch. Their flight is rapid, 

 like that of the swifts, to which they are distantly related. Their call, a sort of 

 vibrating cherr-churr, is uttered at nightfall, and in the morning for perhaps five 

 minutes in succession ; the first part of it being apparently caused by inhaling 

 the air, the second part by exhaling it. If two begin uttering this sound at the 

 same time, one will stop till the other has finished, and then continue to be followed 

 in turn by the other. 



One of the most brilliant of European birds is the blue roller 

 (Coracias garrula), which lives in birch-woods and among hollow 

 oaks or beeches, frequenting the outskirts and not the depths of the wood ; in fact, 

 wherever there are fields near high trees. In harvest-time this bird perches 

 on the corn sheaves, on the look-out for insects, small frogs, and mice. On sighting 

 its prey the roller flies straight at it, and, before devouring it, will often throw- 

 fragments on the ground. It will eat figs in the countries where they grow. The 

 blue roller is a shy bird which must be seen through a glass if its habits are to be 

 watched closely. It flies quickly from tree to tree, but always chooses the tops of 

 the trees, so that, in spite of its shyness, its whereabouts are easy to discover. 

 The flight of the roller when out in the open is varied with gambols and somer- 

 saults, like those of a tumbler pigeon, but it is more graceful and the action is 

 quicker. The male flies high in the air in the neighbourhood of the nest, calling 

 rak, rak, rak, throwing himself over, and rolling from one side to another, and then 

 suddenly drops with a sharp raa-raa-raa, generally to its last resting-place, 

 or some other spot from which its flight may be repeated. When sitting quietly, 

 his cry is not only rak many times repeated, but a noise like the chatter of a 



