NACUNDA GOATSUCKER 5 



mouth. In the Argentine country it has several 

 names, being called Dormilon (Sleepy-^head) or 

 Diierme-duerme (Sleep-sleep), also Gallina ciega (Blind 

 Hen). It is a large, handsome bird, and differs from 

 its congeners in being gregarious, and in never 

 perching on trees or entering woods. It is an in- 

 habitant of the open pampas. In Buenos Ayres, and 

 also in Paraguay, according to Azara, it is a summer 

 visitor, arriving at the end of September and leaving 

 at the end of February. In the love season the male 

 is sometimes heard uttering a song or call, with notes 

 of a hollow mysterious character; at other times 

 they are absolutely silent, except when disturbed in 

 the daytime, and then each bird when taking flight 

 emits the syllable kuf in a hollow voice. When 

 flushed the bird rushes away with a wild zigzag 

 flight, close to the ground, then suddenly drops like 

 a stone, disappearing at the same time from sight 

 as effectively as if the earth had swallowed it up, so 

 perfect is the protective resemblance in the colotuing 

 of the upper plumage to the grotmd. In the evening 

 they begin to fly about earlier than most Caprimulgi, 

 hawking after insects like swallows, skimming over 

 the surface of the ground and water with a swift 

 irregular flight ; possibly the habit of sitting in open 

 places exposed to the full glare of the sun has made 

 them somewhat less nocturnal than other species 

 that seek the shelter of thick woods or herbage 

 during the hours of light. 



The Nacunda breeds in October, and makes no 

 nest, but lays two eggs on a scraped place on the 



