The Whip-poor-will 



By RETT E. OLMSTEAD 



With photographs from nature by the author 



IT was June 25, 1903, that Mr. Topliff, County Superintendent of 

 Schools-Hook, Robert Hegner, and myself drove from Decorah, 

 Iowa, down the Upper Iowa river eight miles for a day's outing. 

 It was a delightful day and the birds were astir everywhere. With note- 

 book in hand, the different species which we had actually identified during 

 the day numbered 

 fifty-two. Where 

 we camped for the 

 day we discovered 

 a Yellow - bellied 

 Sap-sucker's nest 

 in the top of one 

 of the tallest trees. 



NEWLY HATCHED WHIP-POOR-WILLS 



some 75 feet high. I had 

 never before seen this 

 bird nesting so high, and 

 made a note of it. 



After our noon lunch 

 we were walking up the 

 river, some ten rods dis- 

 tant from the stream, 

 when we nearly stepped upon an old Whip-poor-will. No sooner had she 

 wabbled away, feigning lameness, than we discovered two eggs. For a few 

 minutes she flew about within a very few feet of us, but soon a little 

 farther, and finally disappeared. The sun was bright, but the foliage upon 

 the trees did not permit of a snapshot with the camera; consequently the 

 camera was placed a few feet from the nest and focused properly, a string 

 was attached to the shutter and I climbed a tree four rods away to await 

 the return of the old bird. An hour passed, and no return. Mr. Hegner 

 then relieved me and waited two hours without her returning. We then 

 made several exposures of the nest and eggs, one of which, made with a 

 ray-filter, is here shown. 



(54) 



