WHIP-POOR-WILE. 467 



WHIP-POOR-WILL. 



Antrostomus vociferus. 



Char. Gape extremely wide; rictal bristles without lateral filaments. 

 General cplpr dull gray brown, mottled with black, white, and tawny ; 

 throat with collar of white or tawny ; outer taiWeathers partly white ; 

 under parts gi-ay mottled with black. Leiigth g'/i to 10 inches. 



Nest. In dense woods or shady dells; eggs laid on the ground or 

 amid dry leaves. , , ,, 



.Eggs. 2; white or buffy marked brown a,nd lavender ; 1.12 X 0.85. 



This remarkable and well-known nocturnal bird arrives in 

 the Southern States in March, and in the Middle States about 

 the close of April or the beginning of May, and proceeds in 

 its vernal migrations along the Atlantic States to the centre 

 of Massachusetts, .being seldom seen beyond the latitude of 

 43°.;'iand yet in the interior of the continent, according, to 

 Vieillot, it continues as far as Hudson Bay,, and was heard, as 

 usual, by Mr. Say at Pembino, in the high latitude, of 49". In 

 all this vast intermediate space, as far south as Natchez on the 

 Mississippi, and the interior of Arkansas, these birds familiarly 

 breed and take up their temporary residence. Some also pass 

 the winter in the interior of East Florida, according to Audu-, 

 bon. In the eastern part of Massachusetts,, howeverj they are 

 uncommon, and always affect sheltered, wild, and hilly situa- . 

 tions, for which they have in general a preference. About, 

 the same time that the sweetly echoing voice, of the Guckoo is 

 first heard in the north of Europe, issuing, from the leafy 

 groves as the sure .harbinger of, the flowery month of May, 

 arrives amongst us, in the shadpsof night,. nthe. mysterious 

 Whip-poor-will. The 'well-known \ saddening sound is first 

 only heard in the;distant forest, re-echoing from the lonely glen 

 or rocky cliff ; at length the oft-tbldi sdlitary tale is. uttered from 

 the fence of the adjoining field, or garden, and sometimes the 

 slumbering inmates of the cottage' are. serenaded from the low* 

 roof or from some distant shed. ''■ Superstition, gathering terror 

 from every extraordinary feature lof. nature, has not suffered 

 this harmless nocturnal babbler td escape., suspicion, and his 



