THE GOAT SUCKER. 75 



The name of Goat Sucker is derived from a silly notion that they suck 

 Goats, a piece of credulity only equalled by the Hedgehog's supposed 

 crime of sucking Cows, and the accusation against the Cat of sucking 

 the breath of children. The genus Caprimulgus is furnished with 9 

 kind of comb on the middle claw of its foot, but for what purpose is- 

 not clearly ascertained. The power of wing in these birds is very 

 great, and hardly surpassed by that of the Swallow, both birds obtaining 

 their food in a similar manner. 



The Night-Jar, or Goat Sucker, sometimes called the Fern Owl, is 

 spread over Europe, and is tolera- 

 bly common in England. It may 

 be seen at the approach of even- 

 ing, silently wheeling round the 

 trees, capturing the nocturnal 

 Moths and Beetles ; then occa- 

 sionally settling and uttering its 

 jarring cry. When flying the 

 bird sometimes makes its wings 

 meet over its back, and brings 

 them together with a smart snap. 

 It arrives in England about the 

 beginning of May, and leaves in 

 December. It makes no nest, but 

 lays two mottled eggs on the bare ground. Its length is ten inches- 

 The Whip-poor-will and the Chuck-will's-widow both belong to this 

 family. 



These two birds derive their singular names from their cry which ia 

 said closely to imitate the words that have been assigned to them as 

 their names. This bird^ known as " Chuck-will's-widow," is 

 partially migratory, and dwells in the more southern parts of America 

 during v the winter. Audubon relates that this bird applies ito 

 enormous mouth to rather an unexpected use, viz., that of removing 

 its eggs if it finds that they have been disturbed. Of this curious 

 circumstance he was an eye-witness. He saw the bird that first 

 discovered that an intruder had touched the eggs wait for its mate and 

 then saw each of them take an egg in its mouth and carry it off. 



THE PAPUAN PODARGUS. 



This species of the Night-Jar family is exclusively confined to 

 Australia and the islands of the Indian Archipelago. It appears to be 

 closely allied to a very rare species from Java, described by Dr. 

 Horsfield, under the name of Podargus Javanensis. Even more con- 

 fused by the light than is the common Goat Sucker, the members of 

 the genus Podargus are completely nocturnal ; they haunt the solitudes 

 of the woods, and the sombre, but intermingled tints of their plumage 

 screen them from observation. -They issue forth only at night, but 

 on the approach of day retire to their seclusion. 



