136 OUR SOUTHERN BIRDS 



they course to and fro, zigzagging as bats do in 

 pursuit of food on the wing. From May 1st to 

 late September they flit overhead at night, and 

 sleep by day perched lengthwise on a limb, where 

 their beautifully mottled velvety brown and gray 



NIGHTHAWK 

 Length 10 inches 



coloring renders them almost invisible. They 

 spend the winter in South America. 



Like the Whippoorwill, Nighthawks build no 

 nest, but lay two white eggs on the bare ground. 



EEDWINGED BLACKBIRD 



In marshy places around lakes and ponds, or 

 where some meandering stream spreads out into 





