40 AUDUBON THE NATURALIST. 



fairy of the night. During these nocturnal 

 journeys, in pursuit of food, suddenly its course 

 is checked — a moth or beetle secured — when, 

 continuing its fliglit, it passes and repasses hun- 

 dreds of times over the same ground. Aliglit- 

 ing on the tallest plant, it utters its note with 

 unusual vivacity. Again on wing, it gives 

 chase to insects in the air, at intervals skilfully 

 poising itself upon the trunks of trees, in this 

 manner ingeniously seizing the insects on the 

 bark, while enabled, at the same time, to inspect 

 the whole tree in search of prey. The curious 

 sound of its clear and powerful note — chuck- 

 wilFs-widow — ^repeated six or seven times in 

 as many seconds, forerunning, as it does, a calm 

 and peaceful night, comes, borne along the winds 

 with a soothing pensive pleasure to the listener. 

 Its song is soldom heard in cloudy weather, and 

 never during rain. It is singular^ that though 

 this bird exhibits the domestic affections in a 

 remarkable degree, it forms no nest for the pre- 

 servation of its young. A little hollow, care- 

 lessly scratched among dried leaves, is the only 

 deposit for its eggs. This seems, indeed, rather 

 the result of extraordinary instinct than of ne- 

 glect, since, owing to no appearance of an aerial 

 habitation existing to attract attention, the eggs 

 are seldom found, without great difficulty. Should 

 they be meddled with, it is instantly perceived by 



