236 BIRDS 



seen in eastern United States after nesting season. Hum- 

 ming-birds feed on the wing. While feeding on insects, 

 they also partake of the nectar of the flowers, using long 

 beak as tube. The flight is insect-like, and is unequaled for 

 number of strokes of their short wings. 



THE CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW* 



In the wooded ravines and timbered swamps of the 

 Southern States the Chuck-will's-widow tells of its presence 

 by frequently calling its own name. It, with the whip-poor- 

 will and the nighthawk, belongs to the family of goatsuck- 

 ers, and is closely related to the swifts. The family includes 

 about eighty-five species of these peculiar birds, nearly all 

 being natives of the tropics, though nearly every part of the 

 world has representatives. The range of the chuck-will's- 

 widow is quite limited. It includes the states from Virginia 

 and southern Illinois southward to the Gulf of Mexico, and 

 through Mexico into Central America. It is also found in 

 Cuba. 



Chuck-will's-widow is a bird of the twilight and night 

 hours. Silent during the daj^light hours, its penetrating 

 voice, which is remarkably strong, may be continuously 

 heard in the regions that it inhabits during the evening 

 hours and for a time preceding the returning light of day. 

 It is said that on a still evening its call may be heard for 

 more than a mile. In its large eyes and head, its loose and 

 somber-colored plumage, its quiet flight and nocturnal hab- 

 its, it resembles the owls. 



While hunting for food the chuck-will's-widow flies low. 



