The Chorus of the Forest 



from the forest and spread over lake and river as 

 early as four o'clock in the afternoon. They are 

 of tireless flight, darting here and there with 

 moutlis wide open for whatever they come across, 

 as they take their food on wing. Especiallj^ dur- 

 ing the hreeding season tlie males do aerial stunts, 

 possihly for the diversion of weary mates. Thej^ 

 soar seventy-five or one hundred feet, spread the 

 wings and tail widely, and drop toward earth, the 

 wind passing hetween the stiff feathers causing 

 the whistling, booming sound that earns for them 

 the name of "night jar." 



This performance does jar the night somewhat, 

 and might the nerves also, were it wise to allow 

 ourselves such a luxury. I prefer the term to jarring 

 night hawk, since the birds are not nearly so much ^^^ Night 

 creatiu'es of night as they should be to luerit dis- 

 tinct designation by the name; neither are thejr 

 hawks at all, but relatives of martins and swal- 

 lows. Aside from this instrumental performance 

 on wing they utter a nice, cheerful scream that 

 some peculiar folks insist upon disliking, but then 

 there are people in this world A\'ho are forever rais- 

 ing strong objections to tlie vocalizing of their 

 human neighbors. Xight jars haAC a third per- 

 formance, half vocal, half pantomimic, tliat is most 

 remarkable of all. AVhen surprised close their 

 nests, cornered, or slightly wounded, they lie on 

 their l)acks, swell their facial and throat muscles 



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