14 FliRTHliR OHSERVATIONS ON RriNNESOTA BIROS: 



THE WHIPPOORWILL AND NIGHT HAWK. 





p.- 



These two birds, sometimes confused by the uninitiated, yet 

 perfectly distinct species, are both insect-eaters and one of them — 

 the Whippoorwill — not often seen and not very well known. It 

 is a bird of the woods, unless disturbed flying only by night, 

 characterized by its peculiar note, oft-repeated : "Whip-poor- 

 will!" "Whip-poor-will!" "Whip-poor-will!" with a "cluck" or 

 "chuck" before each call, audible to one close at hand. This song, 

 quite forceful and penetrating, is heard in the first part of the 

 night and just before dawn. In coloration, the bird harmonizes 

 closely with the wood colors. When flushed, it disappears with 

 absolutely noiseless flight. 



The Night Hawk, on the other hand, is markedly a bird of 

 the open, frequently in flight in the afternoon and early in the 

 evening, high in the air, uttering" at frequent intervals his rather 

 harsh cry and occasionally, on half-closed wings, darting down to 

 the earth with a booming sound, made, it is claimed, by the rush 

 of air through his primary wing feathers. The two eggs of the 

 Night Hawk are laid on the ground or in the fields, or even on a 

 flat rock, with no semblance of a nest ; occasionally, they are found 

 on flat roofs of buildings in cities. The Whippoorwill's eggs, also 

 two in number, are laid on the ground or on a log or stump in the 

 woods, likewise protected by no nest. The coloring and mark- 

 ings of the two birds also serve to distinguish them. The Whip- 

 poorwill's colors partake of the browns while the Night Hawk is 

 grayish. The tail of the former has the three outer feathers white 

 2/ their length. Further, the end of the tail is rounding. 



