The Goatsuckek.- 



-BIRDS.- 



-TiiE Goatsucker. 



275 



or Fern-chafers. The powers of its wing," he says, 

 '■ were wonderful, exceeding, if possible, the various 

 evolutions and quick turns of the swallow genus. But 

 the circumstance tliat pleased me most was, that I 

 saw it distinctly more than once put out its short 

 leg whilst on the wing, and, by a bend of the head, 

 deliver somewhat into its mouth. Tf it takes any part 

 of its prey with its foot, as I have now the greatest 

 reason to suppose it does these chafers, I no longer 

 wonder at the use of its middle toe, which is curiously 

 furnished with a serrated claw." Mr. Atkinson also 

 takes this view, and mentions his having seen the 

 Goatsucker taking its prey with its feet; adding, " Pro- 

 bably its serrated claw may assist this operation." 

 Considerable doubt is thrown upon this view, however, 

 by the position and nature of the serrations, and by the 

 fact that the Goatsucker has never been seen, when in 

 confinement, to seize insects with the foot. Moreover, 

 the conformation of the mouth itself, so admirably 

 adapted as it is for seizing insects on the wing, must 

 be regarded as an additional argument against this •\'iew. 



The opinion has been put forward by several orni- 

 thologists, and very generally received, that the middle 

 claw of this bird was intended to be used for combing 

 its mouhtaches, if we may use the expression, so as to 

 free them from any fragments of its prey ; but this 

 notion is negatived by the fact, that the teeth are too 

 close together to admit the bristles between them. 

 Other opinions have been advanced by various natu- 

 ralists ; but the only one that deserves notice is that of 

 M, De la Fresnaye, which indeed appears likely to be 

 the true one. That distinguished ornithologist calls 

 attention to the fact, that the Common Goatsucker, and 

 all its immediate allies in which this form of claw 

 prevails, rest upon the branches of trees in the direction 

 of their length, so that they as it were ride upon the 

 convexity of the branch. The structure of the feet, 

 as M. De la Fresnaye pouits out, is wonderfully adapted 

 to this peculiar position. The posterior toe is articu- 

 culated to the inside of the extremity of the tarsus, 

 and, as already stated, has a forward tendency. By 

 this means the small sharp claw with which it is termi- 

 nated is rendered available, like that of a thumb, for 

 clinging to the back of a branch. This is also the 

 case with the inner anterior toe ; and the teeth of the 

 inner margin of the middle claw will also evidently 

 come into play, and give the bird a secure liold upon 

 its seemingly precarious resting-place. If this explana- 

 tion, which is certainly very plausible, be the true one, 

 there can be no doubt that the Goatsuckers are espe- 

 cially organized for holding their peculiar position upon 

 the branches ; but the object of their taking such a 

 position is still to be discovered. 



The Goatsucker usually arrives in this country about 

 the middle of May ; so that it is, with one exception, 

 the latest of all our migratory birds. It is also very 

 early in taking its departure, quitting our shores at the 

 end of August or the early part of September. Kever- 

 theless, in this short period it finds time to distribute 

 itself very widely over the country, as it is by no means 

 confined to the southern parts of Britain, but is a 

 common bird in Scotland, extending even to the most 

 northern parts of that country. Occasionally, speci- 



mens are known to linger in the southern counties of 

 England long after the main body has taken its 

 departm'e ; for individuals have been shot in Cornwall 

 and Devonshire as late as the month of November. 



In this country the Goatsucker is usually met with 

 about moors, heaths, and commons ; but it also fre- 

 quents young woods. It is very fond of baskmg upon 

 the ground in the sun, under the shelter of a bush ; 

 and when thus engaged, it hes very close, so that it 

 may almost be trodden upon before it offers to move. 

 Its period of activity is the twilight, when it may be 

 seen hawking about after its favourite food ; sweep- 

 ing swiftly round the trees frequented by beetles and 

 moths, of which it destroys great numbers. It is 

 frequently asserted by ornithologists that the Goatsucker 

 flies with its mouUr wide open, gaping for its prey ; and 

 hence tlie French have given it the name of Engou- 

 levent. This notion, however, appears to be erroneous, 

 and the bird probably does not open his mouth until 

 he is just about to seize his prey. The note of the 

 bird, which is only emitted by the male, is a sort 

 of whirring sound, compared by many writers to the 

 noise made by a spinning-wheel ; hence he is Imown as 

 the Wlicel-hird in some districts, and in others as the 

 Xif/ht-cliurr, Nifjht-jar, and Churn-owl. The Goat- 

 sucker is also called the Niyht-haick and Dor-hawk; 

 the latter name having reference to his predilection for 

 night-flying beetles, which are often called dors ; and 

 likewise the Fern-owl, from his liking for fern brakes 

 as a place of abode. The name of Goatsucker — which 

 is applied to this bird in almost all languages, from the 

 time of the Greeks and Romans, whose names ^yuthdcs 

 and Coprimuhjus had the same meaning, down to the 

 present time — refers to the bird's supposed habit of 

 sucking the milk of goats and other domestic animals 

 during the night ; a suspicion which has doubtless given 

 the bird a bad character in the minds of many farmers, 

 wiiflst, by the destruction of vast numbers of cock- 

 chafers, it is in reality one of their best friends. The 

 cause of this opinion has been indicated by Le Vaillant. 

 He says that there is no doubt that the Goatsuckers 

 frequent the folds in which goats and sheep are permed 

 up for the night, but that this is by no means with the 

 felonious intention usually ascribed to them ; on the 

 contrary, they are attracted to such places solely by 

 the numerous uisects which are to be met with there, 

 attracted in their turn by the accumulation of impu- 

 rities. The shepherds and herdsmen noticing the birds 

 descending among the animals under their charge, but 

 not knowing their object in so doing, imfortunately 

 put a wrong construction upon their proceedings, and 

 thus fixed a somewhat libellous appellation upon a very 

 harmless bird. Another curious notion has prevailed 

 with regard to the Goatsucker, namely, that it not only 

 flies with its mouth wide open, as already stated, but 

 that in order to enable it to do this, the roof of the mouth 

 is rendered transparent, so that the bird, wiiilst flying 

 in pursuit of its msect prey, is enabled, htj turning its 

 eyes downwards, to see through the palate and thus 

 direct its course. It is scarcely necessary to say that 

 this idea is quite destitute of foundation. The roof of 

 the mouth is indeed very thin and membranous, but 

 by no meaus sufficiently translucent to allow auy object 



