WITH BROWN PREDOMINATING 197 



until flushed, and then she crept back as often as she 

 was driven away, all the time spitting like a cat and 

 ruffling her feathers like an angry owl. I believe this 

 was due to her courage in defending her young and not 

 to any stupidity. The next day she had removed them, 

 and we did not find them again. Other cases of as 

 great courage on the part of both adults of this species 

 I have noticed, and am sure that the Nighthawks are 

 more devoted to their nests and young than any other 

 birds I have studied. 



On the wing, Nighthawks are very sociable, circling 

 in flocks and twittering after the manner of chimney- 

 swifts, to which they are closely related, and uttering 

 their characteristic " boom " which has given them the 

 name of " night jar." They seem always to be having a 

 good time together, — a jolly good fellowship, as it were, 

 — that fits in well with the joy of morning or the glory 

 of evening. 



421. TEXAN NIGHTHAWK. — Chordeiles acidipennis 

 texensis. 



Family : The Goatsuckers. 



Length: 8.00-9.00. 



Adult Male : Upper parts dull mottled gray, streaked with rusty black ; 



chest and under parts barred black and light brown ; throat white ; 



a white band-like patch crossing wing ; wing-coverts spotted and 



mottled with brown. 

 Adult Female : Similar, but wing-patch huffy. 



Young: Finely mottled above ; under parts washed with pale red-brown. 

 Geographical Distribution : Southern border of United States from Texas 



to Southern California, north to Utah, south to Cape St. Lucas. 

 Breeding Range : In California, the southeastern portion of the State. 



