S H O R T - W I N G E D GOATSUCKER.^ 435 



on high trees ; but on bufhes, rails, or the fteps of houfes, which 

 they frequent, as infefts fwarm more, near to habitations, than other 

 places. They give their note fitting: if they fee an infedl pafs, they 

 fly up, catch it, and then fettle again, and renew their fong. Oft- 

 times numbers perch near one another, make a vafb noife, repeat- 

 ing their fong as if in emulation. They continue their call till it is 

 quite dark : their note ceafes during night -, but commences at the 

 dawn, and is continued till the fun rlfes, when they again defift for 

 the whole day *. I muft add, that, befides thefe notes, it has that 

 ftrange found refembling the turning of a great fpinning-wheel ; 

 probably common to the whole genus f. 



They are extremely rare towards the fea-fide ; but fwarm towards 

 the mountains. Dodtor Garden never got but this one. Mr. Clayton 

 confirms their fcarcity in the maritime parts of the provinces j and 

 favors us with the following account of them. 



" I never heard but one in the maritime parts ; though my abode 

 " has been always there; but near the mountains, within a few mi- 

 " nutes after fun-fet, they begin, and make fo fhrill and loud a noife, 

 " which the echoes from the rocks and fides of the mountains increafe 

 " to fuch a degree, that the firfl: time I lodged there I could hardly 

 " get any fleep. The fliooting them in the night is verf difficult ; 

 " they never appearing in the day. Their cry is pretty much like 

 " the found of the prbnunciation of the words Whip poor Will, with 

 " a kind of a chucking between every other, or every two or three 

 " cries ; and they lay the accent upon the laft word PFill, and left of 

 " all upon the middle one. - ^ 



" The Indians fay, thefe birds were never known till a great , 

 " maflacre was made of their country folks by the Englijh, and that 

 " they are the departed fpirits of the mafTacred Indians. Abundance 

 " of people here look upon them as birds of ill omen, and are very 



• Kalm, ii. 153. f Br. Zool, i. p. 352,410—417, 8vo. 



3 K 2 " melancholy 



