DIARY OF THE HABITS OF NIGHTJARS. 391 



8.28. — Churring commences. 



8.33. — A Nightjar flew by, uttering a single note like "queek 

 queek," not the more usual " quaw-ee." 



8.42. — Sitting bird relieved. The arriving bird hovered for 

 some time above its mate, waving its wings rapidly, but uttering 

 no sound. Whilst it was acting thus the sitting bird churred 

 quietly and contentedly, wagging its tail from side to side as 

 before. The whole body waggles as well as the tail, but the tail 

 is the most noticeable. In a second or two the hovering bird 

 settled on the ground beside the other, which then flew off 

 quaw-eeing. Its partner continued to sit where it was — not on 

 the eggs, but close by them — for two or three seconds, when it 

 also flew off. 



8.49. — Two birds (probably the pair) flew by pursuing each 

 other, one of tnem clapping its wings loudly and repeatedly. 



The birds being now gone, I went round the bush, and picked 

 some of the nettles and grasses from about the eggs so as to have 

 a better view of them from my shelter ; then went back. 



8.55. — Two birds flew near quaw-eeing and clapping their 

 wings, and one settled not very far off — in a small fir tree, I think 

 — and churred. After a little it rose, clapping its wings. At 

 this time some other Nightjar, after churring, uttered a note 

 like " chu-oo chu-oo chu-oo," quite different from the usual 

 " quaw-ee" as the bird takes flight. Whether this note is uttered 

 whilst the bird is still sitting, or only as it flies off, I do not yet 

 know.* 



No bird returned to the eggs for over an hour, and I grew 

 more and more uneasy. At last, at 10 o'clock, one returned, and 

 hovered for some time above them. Instead of settling on them, 

 however, it made a dart off to one side, and came down on the 

 ground a little way off. Shortly afterwards it flew away. At 

 10.30 the eggs were still uncovered, though one of the birds had 

 again hovered in the neighbourhood, though not very near them. 

 I now went away. The eggs had therefore been uncovered from 

 8.42 to 10.30 as a minimum. 



June 26th (10.15 a.m.). — Found bird sitting in the accustomed 

 position (head towards me, that is, and tail overlapping dried 

 stalk). Could see it even better than before, owing to having 



* Only as it flies off, I believe. 



