ON MOORS, COMMONS, AND HEATHS. 163 



to identify the species a loud musical pitchoo 

 even if the chestnut breast and dark brown upper 

 plumage and long tail have not already served to 

 do so. It is a skulking bird, yet fond of sunning 

 itself and warbling its little song on the topmost 

 sprays, and taking short flights into the air, then 

 dropping into the cover. Its food is largely com- 

 posed of insects and larvae, many of the former 

 being caught as they flit by the bird's perching- 

 place. This bird begins to breed about the 

 middle of April, making a flimsy net-like nest 

 near the foot of the bushes in their densest part, 

 of dead grass-stalks, withered furze, and moss, 

 and lined with h'ner grasses and mayhap a few 

 hairs. Both the nest and the five eggs are very 

 similar to those of the Whitethroat, the latter 

 especially, so much so that the most careful 

 identification is required. 



Another very interesting bird, the NIGHTJAR widely 



/ s~> , j , \ i i 1 distributed. 



(Capmmulgus europczus), has its home upon the 

 commons and the heaths. It is a summer migrant 

 to our islands, arriving about the middle of May, 

 and leaving towards the end of September. It 

 may be readily identified by its nocturnal habits, 

 coming forth at sunset, by its peculiar soft bat- 

 like flight as it turns and twists the light under 

 surface of the wings is very distinct and by its 

 extraordinary churring and chattering notes. It 

 feeds on beetles and moths, hunting high and 

 low for its prey, beating across the open heath 

 and under the trees by the woodside, often toying 

 with its mate in mid-air. It sleeps during the 

 daytime, very often on a stone-heap or in a shady 

 nook amongst the bracken, and when disturbed 

 flies off in a very dazed sort of way as if at a loss 



M 2 



