342 USEFUL BIRDS. 



almost invisible when seen from above as they squat on their 

 natal rock. The mother either tries to drive an intruder away 

 by approaching him with open mouth, or feigns lameness and 

 so attempts to entice him into pursuit. 



It is probable that the Nighthawk is one of the most useful 

 of all birds. It ranks next to the Flicker in the destruction 

 of ants, and it takes them when they are flying and about to 

 propagate. Professor Beal estimated that the stomachs of 

 eighty-seven Mghthawks which he examined "contained not 

 less than twenty thousand ants, and these were not half of 

 the insect contents." One Nighthawk's stomach held remains 

 of thirty-four May beetles. Great numbers of grasshoppers 

 are caught by these birds. Potato beetles, cucumber beetles, 

 leaf hoppers, bugs, and enormous quantities of gnats and mos- 

 quitoes have been found in their stomachs. Nighthawks are 

 absolutely harmless, as they never take fruit or grain, grass 

 or vegetables. They are protected by law at all times, and 

 should never be shot or molested. Unfortunately, they are 

 now rare in parts of this Commonwealth where they were 

 common years ago. 



Whip-poor-will. 



Antrostomus vociferus. 



Length. — About ten inches. 



Adult Male. — Above, finely mottled and barred with black, gray, and yellowish- 

 brown ; wings barred with black and brown, in general browner and not so 

 dark as the Mghthawk ; throat and upper breast blackish ; other under 

 parts buff, marked with blackish ; a narrow white band just below throat, 

 and terminal portion of three outer tail feathers white. 



Adult Female. — Similar, but band below throat buff, and tail feathers narrowly 

 tipped with yellowish-white. 



Eggs. — On ground in woods; a creamy white, beautifully marked with shades 

 of purple or lavender. 



Season. — May to September. 



In moonlit woods, through dark and shady dells, over 

 wide pastures, and by the lone farmhouse door the Whip- 

 poor-will flits softly through the silent night. Its flight 

 is not as noiseless as that of an Owl ; but the bird is even 

 more mysterious than the Owls themselves. Its night 

 flight and weird but melodious call have aroused supersti- 

 tious fancies, until the Whip-poor-will has been accredited 

 with all sorts of uncanny attributes ; nevertheless, it is, like 



