264 Bird Studies. 



breast and upper throat are dusky or black. The remainder of the lower 

 parts are barred transversely black and white, the latter often having a buffy 

 tinge. The female has no white on the tail, and the throat patch is more 

 restricted and buff in color. 



The eggs are laid on the ground without an attempt at nest building. 

 Often these are deposited in a gravelly field or on a bare rock, and not infre- 

 quently the flat roof of a house or other building, particularly such as have 

 asphalt roofing covered with gravel, is utilized by the birds. 



The eggs match their environment, being dull grayish or white, profusely 

 marked with varying shades of grayish brown. 



The birds range throughout Eastern North America north to Labrador, 

 and breed from north of the Gulf States to that region. They winter in 

 South America. 



A much more gregarious bird than the Whip-poor-will, the Nighthawk 

 may be seen both in spring and fall in the broad light of day migrating 

 leisurely in bands of varying size, frequently many hundreds being associated 

 together. They do not fly very low, but seek their insect prey at varying 

 altitudes, generally above twenty and often several hundred feet from the 

 ground. The well-known habit, during the breeding season, of diving from 

 a very considerable height at great speed, and turning just before reaching 

 the earth with a curious, sonorous, rushing sound, is very characteristic, and 

 has been too often described to need further comment here. 



The geographical race of the Nighthawk breeding in Florida and on the 



Florida Nie-hthawk Gulf Coast is smaller than its more northern prototype, 



chordeiies virginianus chap- being little more than eight inches long. It is also 



marked on the upper parts more profusely with white and 



light buff. 



The Western Nighthawk is about the same size as its Eastern congener, 



but is grayer and paler in general tone. It is the repre- 



hawk sentative of our Nighthawk throughout the Western 



chordeiies virginianus hen- United States, except on the treeless portion of the Great 



Plains, and a geographical race or form of that bird. The 



bird has been recorded from Northeastern Illinois. 



