NIGHT HAWK. 199 



Nfsllinys. The only specimen I ever saw was shown to me by Mr. Brewster, who obtained it from Mr. N. C. Brown. 

 This was covered with downy feathers of a dark-brown color, spotted and tipped irregularly with rufous and yellowish. It 

 is quite probable that this species undergoes several changes from birth to the time it assumes the plumage described adove. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



Specimens vary somewhat in markings, especially above, and while those from Florida are generally darker, they show 

 more white above; this is especially noticeable in birds which I obtained at Lake Harney late in May when they were breed- 

 ing; in fact they exhibit some approach in this respect to the bleached Western form, "Henryi." There is, however, no 

 appreciable difference in size between Florida birds and those taken even as far north as Maine. Distributed during the 

 breeding season throughout the entire extent of North America. Winters in the West Indies. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Average measurements of twenty-four specimens from Florida and New England. Length, 9'00; stretch, 22' 17; wing, 

 7'82; tail, 3-05; bill, -25; tarsus, '57. Longest specimen, !)-~5; greatest extent of wing, 22-25; longest wing, 8'90; tail, 4'55; 

 bill, -30; tarsus, '65. Shortest specimen, 8'25: smallest extent of wing, 21-00; shortest wing, 6'75; tail, 3'85; bill, '20; tar- 

 sus, -45. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 



Nests, simply hollows scratched in the ground, or the eggs are frequently deposited on bare rocks and, of late years, 

 also on the flat, concrete-covered roofs of houses in cities like New York and Boston. 



Eyyi, two in number, elliptical in form, dirty white in color, spotted and blotched irregularly with brown, slaty and 

 lilac. Dimensions from l'20x '80 to 1-26 x '85. 



HABITS. 



It is impossible to find a bird which is more generally known whenever it occurs than 

 the Night Hawks. Even the Seminoles of Florida described it to me long before its arriv- 

 al and when I showed Tiger a skin he exclaimed, at once, "Ho-pil-car!" a name by which 

 they designate it, and once more proceeded to give me a good account of its habits, by 

 which I judged that it bred in the vicinity. They were very abundant about the first week 

 in April at Miami yet many of these were probably only migrants, but I found them com- 

 mon and nesting on Merritt's Island, Indian River, and obtained a single egg deposited on 

 a spot destitute of vegetation. Later, about the fifteenth of the month, the same season, 

 I found them, evidently breeding, in the pincy woods but failed to find an egg. The males 

 were sitting on the limbs of high pine trees but the females were not visible during the 

 day, only making their appearance at twilight. I found the fresh eggs in the grain fields 

 of Pennsylvania during the last week of May and obtained the females with eggs ready to 

 be deposited, in Maine, on the fifth of June. When breeding, the females are not at all 

 shy, as they will permit one to walk quite near them without starting. Indeed I have 

 nearly placed my foot upon them as they sat crouched flat against the ground, before they 

 would rise, then would only fly a few yards and settle again. So closely do the colors of the 

 Night Hawks correspond with those of the soil which is destitute of vegetation, that it is 

 almost impossible to detect the birds, especially when the surface is slightly broken or cov- 

 ered with stones. Like many ground nesters which are similarly colored, these birds ap- 

 pear to be aware that this similarity of color to that of surrounding objects is their best 

 protection, consequently they will almost always remain quiet until the intruder approaches 

 very near them. When forced to take wing, they rise very suddenly, flying in an eccen- 

 tric or zigzag course but with a rapid motion. The females merely utter a kind of croak 

 repeated once or twice when first on the wing, then are silent. 



