204 WHIPPOORW1LL. 



reputed fine powers of song. Yet the notes of these birds are certainly very fine when 

 heard to advantage. I well remember when this unique song first greeted my ear. I was 

 floating leisurely in my boat along a New England river on a clear, calm night in early 

 June, lazily watching the play of the moonlight upon the water, not caring to break the 

 delightful hush which reigned, by even dropping an oar, when, from the shadowing forest, 

 came the low, plaintive song of the Whippoorwill. Distance truly lends enchantment to 

 this lay, for when I heard it then and as I have heard it many times since, coming from 

 the far away woodlands, it did not seem as if the peculiar cadence could be produced by 

 a bird; it is so mournful but withal so singularly sweet that it appears more like an exha- 

 lation from the purple mist which hangs over the valleys, harmonizing as perfectly with 

 the surroundings as does the gentle sighing of the perfumed air through the tree-tops of 

 the forests. 



When heard near at hand, however, even after the breeding season, when the notes 

 are given quite distinctly, all these illusions vanish for then there is a harsher tone per- 

 ceptible which is not very agreeable. The delivery of the song is always hurried and, 

 although fhere are three notes, distinctly pronounced, yet their resemblance to the sylla- 

 bles whip-poor-will is more or less fanciful and might be equally well illustrated by oth- 

 er sounds. For example, Cooper, in an introduction to one of his novels, says that the birds 

 distinctly articulate wish-ton-wish, but the best rendering of it that I ever heard was from 

 the Seminoles who call it wac-co-lar, with the accent on the last syllable just as the birds 

 repeat it. The females never sing and only utter a chuck when alarmed. This same note 

 is also given by the males and often precedes the song. 



The Whippoorwills are abundant in Florida throughout the winter and I even found 

 them common in the thickets at Key West, but they are silent until about the middle of 

 March, after which they soon migrate northward. They continue to sing in their summer 

 resorts throughout the season and I once heard one utter the full song several times at 

 Watsontown, Pennsylvania, on the night of the thirtieth of August. These birds remain 

 concealed in the thick woods during the day, resting on the ground or on a rock or branch 

 near it. They are strictly nocturnal, never flying voluntarily during day -light, but when 

 disturbed, they will rise and make their way swiftly through the tangled undergrowth, a- 

 voiding the intervening obstacles as skillfully as in the evening, settling down again in 

 some secluded place. They are quite shy birds and will never admit of a near approach, 

 but are tamer in the night than in the day, for they will then frequently emerge from the 

 woods to rest upon house-tops and sound their cries. They will select particular points on 

 which to light and will visit them repeatedly. Unlike the Night Hawks, they do not, usu- 

 ally hunt about the field in search of their prey, but will sit in some moderately elevated 

 situation, like a post-top, and launch out at the passing insects, much after the manner 

 practiced by the Flycatchers. They are very fond of dusting themselves in roads or paths 

 and will frequently resort to them for this purpose. They will also settle on newly ploughed 

 fields and walk in the freshly upturned earth, a habit which I have also observed in the 

 Night Hawks. 



The Whippoorwills deposit their eggs in the woods without any nest, about the last 



