284 BIRDS OF THE NIGHT. 



tremulous staccato. The separate notes may be distinctly 

 perceived, though the intervals are hardly appreciable. 



The generality of this family of birds cannot be regard- 

 ed as useful. They are only mischievous birds of prey, 

 and no more entitled to mercy or protection than the Fal- 

 cons, to which they are allied. All the little Owls, how- 

 ever, though guilty of destroying small birds, are service- 

 able in ridding our fields and premises of mischievous 

 animals. They destroy multitudes of large nocturnal 

 insects, flying above the summits of trees in pursuit of 

 them, while at other times their flight is low, when watch- 

 ing for mice and moles, that run upon the ground. It is 

 on account of its low flight that the Owl is seldom seen 

 upon the wing. Bats, which are employed by Nature for 

 similar services, fall victims in large numbers to the Owls, 

 which are the principal means of checking their multi- 

 plication. 



An interesting family of nocturnal birds are the Moth- 

 hunters, of which in New England there are only two 

 species, the Whippoorwill and the Nighthawk. These 

 birds resemble the Owls in some of their habits ; but 

 in their structure, their mode of obtaining subsistence, 

 and in their general characters they resemble Swallows. 

 They are shy and solitary, take their food while on the 

 wing, abide chiefly in the deep woods, and come abroad 

 only at twilight or in cloudy weather. They remain, like 

 the Dove, permanently paired, lay their eggs on the bare 

 ground, and, when perched, sit upon the branch length- 

 wise, unlike other birds. They are remarkable for their 

 singular voices, and only one species — the Whippoor- 

 will — may be considered musical. They are inhabitants 

 of all parts of the world, but are particularly numerous 

 in the warmer regions of North and South America, where 

 the curiosity of the traveller is constantly excited by their 

 voices resembling human speech. 



