THE NIGHTJAR 



CAPRIMULGUS EUROP.EUS 



LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Night Hawk " 

 (Essex). 



STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A common and widely 

 distributed summer visitor to all districts suited to its 

 needs ; less numerous in Scotland and Ireland. 



RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST. 

 PAUL'S : There are many suitable haunts for the Night- 

 jar within the Metropolitan area, and the bird takes such 

 an advantage of them that it is quite common in some 

 parts of it. Probably the nearest haunt of the Nightjar 

 to St. Paul's is Hampstead. Then amongst the more 

 central suburbs I may mention as haunts Dulwich, Streat- 

 ham and Tooting Bee Commons, Ealing, Twyford, and 

 Wembley. The bird is very common in Richmond Park, 

 also at Wimbledon, Coombe Wood, Bushey, Barnes 

 Common, and the Kew, Osterley, and Hanwell districts. 

 It becomes more local in the northern and eastern suburbs, 

 but I can mention Elstree, Enfield, and Epping as haunts. 

 There are many haunts of the Nightjar in Kent, amongst 

 the Crays and elsewhere, and the bird again becomes 

 exceptionally common in the Croydon area, especially in 

 such spots as Shirley Heath. Continuing our way across 

 Surrey again, the bird is common, and universally dis- 

 tributed throughout the open woodlands, commons, and 

 heaths to Banstead, Epsom, and Esher. 



The Nightjar is another late migrant, not reaching 

 its London haunts until about the middle of May 

 (although Mr. W. B. Tegetmier records its arrival at 

 Finchley on April 28, 1906 an exceptional occurrence) 

 leaving them again in September. As the Nightjar is 

 only abroad at dusk and during the hours of night, its 

 actions are not very easily observed. Skulking during 



249 



