334 SWIFTS 



Long after the light has fac'ed from the western horizon we may hear 

 this voice from the starlit heavens, for the Nighthawk is one of our few 

 truly nocturnal birds. Occasionally the peents are given more rapidly, 

 and after calling several times in close succession the bird on half-closed 

 wings dives earthward with such speed that one fears for his safety; but 

 just before the ground is reached he checks his rapid descent by an 

 abrupt turn, and on leisurely wing again mounts upward to repeat this 

 game of sky-coasting At the moment the turn is made one may hear a 

 rushing, booming sound, which, as writers have remarked, can be imi- 

 tated in tone by blowing across the bung-hole of an empty barrel. It 

 is made by the passage of the air through the bird's primaries. 



In late summer Nighthawks gather in large flocks and begin their 

 southward migrations. When flying the white mark on their primaries 

 is a conspicuous character, and has the appearance of being a hole in 

 the bird's wing. 



1905. HERRICK, F. H., Home-Life of Wild Birds, 129-135. 



420b. C. v. chapman! Coues. FLORIDA NIGHTHAWK. Similar to the 

 preceding, but smaller, and with the white and cream-buff markings of the 

 upperparts more numerous. L., 8'60; W., 7' 10; T., 4'10. 



Range. Breeds in the Gulf coast belt from eastern Tex. to Fla. ; winter 

 range unknown. 



Nesting date, Volusia Co., Fla., May 8. 



420c. C. v. sennetti Coues. SENNETT'S NIGHTHAWK. Palest of our 

 Nighthawks; whitish prevailing in wing coverts and scapulars; less rufous 

 than in C. v. henryi; less heavily barred below than C. v. virginianus. W., 

 7-10. 



Range. Breeds on treeless plains from Sask. and Man. s. to cen. Nebr. ; 

 occasional in Iowa, Wise., and Ills.; winter range unknown, probably in 

 S. A. 



45. FAMILY MICROPODID^E. SWIFTS. (Fig. 56.) 



The ninety-odd known species of Swifts are distributed throughout 

 the greater part of the world but are most abundant in the tropics. 

 About one-third this number are American but only four advance north 

 of Mexico. Some Swifts nest in colonies and most species are associated 

 in companies, at other times of the year. Hollow trees and caves are the 

 natural nesting- and roosting-places of many species, while others fasten 

 their nests to the under surface of palm leaves, and the East Indian 

 Tree Swifts attach their nest to a limb. Most Swifts appear to employ 

 the glutinous secretion of the salivary glands in nest-construction and 

 the edible nests of the Swifts of the genus Collocalia are composed 

 entirely of this substance. 



Swifts lay white eggs and the young are naked when hatched. They 

 feed entirely while flying, and with their unusually long wings and small, 

 compactly feathered bodies possess unrivaled powers of flight. Swifts 

 are popularly confused with Swallows, but the resemblance is only 

 superficial and exists chiefly in the similarity of flight and feeding 



