THE RAZOR-GRINDER 127 



anything about it, and invented the goat-sucking 

 myth. 



Another bit of folk-lore about the nightjar is that 

 it gave calves a disease called puckeridge; and 

 on this account country folk still call this 

 innocent but unfortunate bird the pucker- 

 grinder *dge. The disease, in fact, was caused by 

 an insect which laid eggs on the backs of 

 cattle, whence emerged grubs to cause the skin to 

 pucker. The nightjar may often be seen wheeling 

 about cattle, for the reason, no doubt, that the animals 

 attract insects and disturb moths. Possibly for the 

 same reason the nightjar, instead of flying away from 

 human beings, will flit near about, keeping just in 

 front of a walking man. Among other curious names 

 is " razor-grinder." We met a countryman who 

 only knew the nightjar by this name, derived from 

 the noise made by itinerant razor-grinders at work. 



Perched lengthwise on a low branch or rail, the 



nightjar gives to its churring a ventriloquial effect by 



turning its head while it croons. Though 



teiloquist *^ e crooi g * s monotonous, it varies in 

 key, loudness, and duration; while the 

 occasional cry, " crow-ic, crow-ic," reminds one 

 of the cry of moorhens and tawny owls. As the 

 bird flies, the snapping of the beak may be heard as a 



