40 AUDUBON THE NATURALIST. 
fairy of the night. During these nocturnal 
journeys, in pursuit of food, suddenly its course 
is checked—a moth or beetle secured—when, 
continuing its flight, it passes and repasses hun- 
dreds of times over the same ground. Alight- 
ing on the tallest plant, it utters its note with 
unusual vivacity. Again on wing, it gives 
chase to insects in the air, at intervals skilfully 
poising itself upon the trunks of trees, in this 
manner ingeniously seizing the insects on the 
bark, while enabled, at the same time, to inspect 
the whole tree in search of prey. The curious 
sound of its clear and powerful note—chuck- 
will’s-widow—repeated six or seven times in 
as many seconds, forerunning, as it does, a calm 
-and peaceful night, comes, borne along the winds 
with a soothing pensive pleasure to the listener. 
Its song is soldom heard in cloudy weather, and 
never during rain. It is singular, that though 
this bird exhibits the domestic affections in a 
remarkable degree, it forms no nest for the pre- 
servation of its young. A little hollow, care- 
lessly scratched among dried leaves, is the only 
deposit for its eggs. This seems, indeed, rather 
the result of extraordinary instinct than of ne- 
glect, since, owing to no appearance of an aerial 
habitation existing to attract attention, the eges 
are seldom found, without great difficulty. Should 
they be meddled with, it is instantly perceived by 
