392 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



removed what thin and scattered herbage had become interposed. 

 It sat quite motionless, the large eye shut, but occasionally 

 opening to a very limited extent so as to show a long black slit. 



10.30. — The low sleepy " churr " of a Nightjar from neigh- 

 bouring fir-clump. Left a little after 10.30. 



At about 11 a.m. crept up behind a bush, near which sat 

 another Nightjar with young birds (I had disturbed this family 

 three or four days before, when the old bird spun along the ground 

 as if hurt), From here I could see the bird sitting just as the 

 other one did on her eggs with a young one on each side of her. 

 This I did not remark till one of the young birds moved and then 

 shuffled itself more under its mother's breast, causing her to sit 

 with the head held higher. I then saw both this and the other 

 young one for the first time. Just then (11.25) the old bird 

 either saw me or suspected my presence, and went off the nest, 

 spinning over the ground in various directions. She then flew 

 to a small bush near by, and sat there, uttering a note like 

 " chook chook chook." Shortly after she flew off and out of 

 sight. 



11.30. — Bird returned to a bush close to the one she had left, 

 and again uttered the note " chook chook" ; then sat silent. 



11.55. — Bird left the bush and flew around evidently dis- 

 quieted. At 12 I came out, but before leaving walked to where 

 the young birds had been, and where I had seen them after the 

 mother had flown away. To my surprise they were gone, and, 

 though I looked carefully all about, I could not find them any- 

 where. The " chook chook chook " therefore of the mother may 

 have been the danger signal. 



12.30. — Came back to the first bird, and found it (assuming 

 it was the same) still sitting, but in a changed position, the head 

 being now turned the other way. This time I was entirely 

 deceived by the bird's resemblance to an inanimate object 

 (though the bird I had just left had not deceived me). Not 

 catching the outline of the tip of the wings and tail across the 

 dry stalk (to which I had become accustomed) my eye rested full 

 upon it, and I thought I was looking at a piece of fir-bark, one 

 of those amongst which it sat. I, in fact, looked for the eggs 

 upon the bird, for I knew the exact spot where they should be. 

 But as I should have seen them at once, owing to their light 



