96 



THE WHITE-BELLIED NIGHTJAR. 



some bird, and is generally found in the deepest bushes upon the banks of rivers of New 

 South Wales. Its scientific title is Podargus plumiferus. 



The New Holland Goat-sucker is a very fine and beautifully marked bird, its plumage 

 being richly mottled with black and brown uj^on its upper surface, while the under surface 

 is rusty graj", curiously variegated with buff. The tail is barred with darker bands. 



This bird is very owl-like in its appearance and many of its habits, and has therefrom 

 received the popular title of Owlet Nightjar. In the shape of its head, and the steady 

 upright carriage, it bears a great resemblance to the Coquimbo Owl, a likeness wliich is further 



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GKEAT-EAEED GOAT-SUCKER.-Ba<«KA<wto»iM auritus. 



carried out by the shai-p, angry hiss which it emits when irritated. Like the owls, it also 

 possesses the habit of twisting its head so that the beak is brought on a level with the spine. 



The New Holland Goat-sucker resides in the hoUoAv branches of the eucalypti, technically 

 called "spouts" by the colonists. When the sportsman wishes to know whether a " spout" 

 is occupied by one of these birds, he has nothing more to do than to administer a sharp tap to 

 the branch with a stick or axe. Should the bird be at home, it runs quickly to the entrance, 

 pops out its head, and, after surveying the intruder for a moment, retires into the seclusion of 

 its domicile. It will repeat this process several times, but at last loses patience at the frequent 

 interruptions, and fairly takes to fiight. In these "spouts" the eggs are laid, being placed 

 simply upon the soft decaying wood. The eggs are white in color, and from three to five in 

 number. There are generally two broods of young in the year. The bird is nocturnal, and 

 its principal food consists of insects, mostly of the coleopterous order. 



A closely allied species is worthy of notice on account of the very singular arrangement 

 of color upon its liead. 



This is the White-bellied Nightjar {^cjotlieles leucogaster\ which may be distinguished 

 from all its relatives by the white hue of the under surface of its body, and the three broad 



