" Young Nightjars harmonise with their natural surroundings in an admirable manner." 



THE NIGHTJAR 



HE Nightjar, Goatsucker, or 

 Fern Owl, as it is various- 

 ly known, is a migrant, 

 arriving in May and depart- 

 ing again in September or 

 October. It is a quaint, 

 sleepy-looking bird, with 

 the gravity of an owl when 

 at rest, and the activity of a hawk when 

 on the wing. It has one peculiarity 

 that distinguishes it from all other 

 British birds, for, when at rest in a tree, 

 instead of sitting athwart a branch, it 

 lies right along it, and with its head 

 depressed below the level of its body, 

 and its harmonising coloration becomes 

 very difficult to see. 



The Nightjar makes no kind of nest 

 whatsoever, but contents itself by drop- 

 ping its two white, or greyish-white, 

 eggs clouded, blotched, and marbled 

 with dark brown and underlying mark- 

 ings of bluish lead colour on the 

 ground, beneath bracken, heather, 

 furze bushes, or quite in the open on 

 heaths, commons, and open spaces in 



9 65 



woods and copses in dry sandy dis- 

 tricts. 



Whilst the female is sitting on her 

 eggs or young she generally has her eyes 

 closed, or only partially open, and the 

 mixed greys and browns of her plumage 

 make her resemble a piece of bark or 

 dead branch so closely that she is often 

 passed without being detected by the 

 wayfarer. If she should be discovered 

 and driven from her charge she will 

 frequently alight on a neighbouring 

 stump or other convenient vantage- 

 point, and opening her large, flesh- 

 coloured mouth, threaten the intruder. 



Young Nightjars harmonise with their 

 natural surroundings in an admirable 

 manner, as may be seen by the illustra- 

 tion on this page. 



This species lives upon moths, cock- 

 chafers, and other insects that become 

 active during twilight, and the bird's 

 wonderful powers of flight when twist- 

 ing and turning in pursuit of its 

 winged prey make it difficult to 

 believe that it is the sluggish-looking 



