THE NIGHTJAR. 87 



and is continuous for many minutes, occasionally altering in 

 tone suddenly. The call-note is perhaps even more difficult to 

 describe. It is a single note like that produced by twanging a 

 short bit of india-rubber cord when it is tightly strained, or 

 a metallic tongue fixed by one end in a vice. This note is 

 uttered on the wing at intervals of a few seconds, as also the 

 occasional clapping noise, which seems to be made by a single 

 stroke of the wings clapped together. 



The Nightjar arrives- in Norfolk and Suffolk by the second 

 week in May, or possibly earlier. On the 11th of May, 1882, 

 I heard it on Sparham Heath, in the county of Norfolk. On 

 the 16th of May, 1883, I saw and heard one at Downham, in 

 Suffolk. On the 25th, at the same place, I saw many flying 

 about in the evening, three or four being in sight at once. 



The two following dates were given me by two gamekeepers, 

 and I have reason to think they are correct : — Nightjar at 

 Heydon, May 10th, 1876, and at Taverham, May 13th, 1879. 



The following dates are for Nightjars' eggs, all found or seen 

 by me in the above-named counties, between 1863 and 1883. 



May 25. In Hockering I saw one egg, which had been takeu. 



„ 30. Two eggs brought from Lyng, and two found yesterday. 

 June 2. Two fresh eggs in game shop in Brandon (laid some days ago ?). 

 „ 7. Two, shown to me, but found some days ago. 

 „ 8. Six, like all the above named, possibly laid some days before 



I saw them ; four of these six were sat on. 

 ,, 9. Two ; a fresh-laid clutch. 



„ 11. Six. Three clutches, nearly fresh, sat on, and much sat on. 

 „ Between June 11th and SSth, inclusive, I saw fifteen clutches 



(twenty-nine eggs altogether), in Downham, HerriugHeet, 

 Cawston, Lyng, Sparham, Hockering, and Heydon. 

 July 5. Two, amongst green brakes in the Swannington sheep-walk. 

 „ 7. One fresh-laid egg in Bluestone Wilderness. 

 „ 8. Two, nearly hatched, at Drayton Drury. 

 ,, 13. Two, nearly hatched ; one was chipped 

 ,, 14. One, at Sparham, on the Heath. 

 „ 27. Tv/o, fresh-laid, at Hockering. 

 Aug. 4. Two; one was clear and probably rotten, the other much incubated. 



I think the last-named was possibly a third clutch and a 

 failure, or, supposing the bird had been robbed of eggs earlier in 

 the season, this was probably a fourth or fifth clutch. I have 



