THE NIGHTJAR 123 



It is a curious thing that the unjust appellation of 

 " goat sucker," given from time immemorial to this bird, 

 has its equivalent in almost every country of Europe. It 

 is like the case of the barn-owl, which is called "oil 

 drinker" in the south of France. Night-feeding birds 

 have always been the objects of ignorant persecution. 

 The Nightjar is called tette chevre in France and Geiss- 

 melker in Germany. Crapaud-volant is another of its 

 names, after the toad, which is also said to suck goat's 

 milk. 



The Nightjar is about 10 inches in length. It is a 

 peculiar bird. The plumage is fine and soft ; in this, as 

 well as in its colour, reminding us of the Owl, with this 

 difference, that the yellow in the colouring of the Owl is 

 not so pronounced and the ashen-grey and washed-out 

 looking brown is therefore more decided. The two 

 middle tail feathers are a beautiful grev with dark dots 

 and intermittent cross-stripes. The head is large, the eyes 

 dark-brown and large, and they have power to see clearly 

 in the twilight. The beak is small, the gape, on the 

 other hand, relatively enormous, forming a yawning 

 abyss when open ; the edge of the upper mandible beset 

 with moveable bristles. Legs short and weak. It does 

 not build a nest. It lays two eggs on the bare ground 

 and there hatches them. The eggs are nearly white 

 with dark marble-like veining. 



