DIARY OF THE HABITS OF NIGHTJARS. 389 



sitting bird left the eggs, uttering the same note, and both flew 

 away together. They were away for nearly twenty minutes, when 

 one of them returned (this time flying right down on to the eggs 

 in silence), and continued to sit silently for an hour or the best 

 part of an hour (it being now too dark to see the time), during all 

 which time I was digging out the sand behind the bush so as to 

 have a better place to sit and watch in. I then went out and 

 brought some branches to make more cover, but in placing these 

 I startled the bird away. Having made a good shelter I left. I 

 imagine that the bird which sat twice for a short time only and 

 churred on the eggs whilst alone was the male, whilst the silent 

 and long-sitting bird was the female. 



June 23rd. — Found bird sitting at 3.15 p.m. The Nightjar 

 seems almost as good an example of protective colouring as any 

 insect. It harmonizes to absolute perfection with the sandy 

 ground, dry sticks, and pieces of fir-tree bark, amongst which it 

 so often lays its eggs. My shelter was at some three paces of the 

 bird as it sat, and I could distinctly see the outline of the latter 

 part of its body, and one wing with the tail. Yet, scrutinizing it 

 with the utmost attention for ten minutes or a quarter of an hour 

 at a time, it was only at twenty minutes past four that I finally 

 became convinced it was the bird and not a piece of fir-bark at 

 which I was looking ; and this though I knew the eggs to be 

 there, yet could not see them. Stayed till five, during all which 

 time the bird sat in silence. 



Returned at 6.10 p.m., and found bird (presumably the same 

 one)* still sitting in the same position. 



6.25. — A. bird in clump of fir-trees near churred slightly. 



8.15. — First flying note of the Nightjar heard as well as the 

 " churr." 



8.40. — Sitting bird relieved by her mate. He settled down 

 facing her, and then, as it were, snoozled up to her, churring 

 softly. Whilst doing so he waggled his tail from side to side, as 

 did the other one also in exactly the same way. I believe there- 

 fore that both birds churred together, though I could not be quite 

 certain that I heard the two separate notes. The bird I had 

 been watching then flew away with a " quaw-ee," the other one 



* One bird — no doubt the hen — sits on the eggs all day, and does by far 

 the greater part of the night-sitting also. 



