DIARY OF THE HABITS OF NIGHTJARS. 495 



9.23. — Both chicks try again. Doubtful if they get anything. 



9.27. — Chicks out again, and it looks as if they are fed just a 

 little. 



9.28. — Bird flies off uttering a low and yet sharp sound — an 

 unquiet sound. She circles around and about in the air, hawking, 

 I imagine, for insects. Yet no cockchafers, moths, or other large 

 insects are visible to my eyes where she is in the (to-night) cloud- 

 less sky. I believe she engulphs in her great cavernous jaws a 

 vast quantity of minute insects, gnats, flies, &c, and that these 

 are disgorged on her return down the chicks' throats. 



9.33. — Same bird (hen) settles on elder-stump. Seems to 

 have nothing in beak ; nothing breaks its outline against the sky. 

 Almost immediately she flies to chicks and feeds them, but not 

 so fully as before. 



9.42. — Chicks try again. Probably get nothing. Too dark 

 now to see properly. 



9.45. — Bird off. Circles about a little, and back at 9.48. 



9.48. — Feeds chicks, but, so far as I can make out, very little. 

 There is now a little piping note, no doubt from the chicks. The 

 croodle is, I think, the old bird. It is, I feel sure, the same bird 

 as before that has just fed the chicks, but cannot see that it is. 

 Moon now rising. 



9.52. — Leave, meaning to return when the moon, now full, is 

 risen. Bird still with chicks. The sky, however, shortly clouded 

 over, and I did not come back. 



July 6th. — (Fine day.) 8.33 p.m. Found bird sitting in 

 place where I left her last night. Eyes closed. Lighter coloured 

 chick ran suddenly from mother to the egg-shells, some six or 

 eight inches off, sat there a minute or two, then ran back, tugged 

 at her bill, got nothing, and went under breast again. 



8.41. — Chicks come out and try to get fed, tugging long and 

 vigorously at the old bird's beak ; but, as far I could see, she 

 simply pulled back again, and they got nothing. 



8.45. — Chick runs out from under old bird's tail, then round 

 to her breast, and tries hard to get fed ; but in vain. 



8.46. — Bird flies off with the impatient or unquiet note. Came 

 out and touched chicks with my finger. They sat quiet. Old 

 bird has disappeared. Coming on to rain. 



8.50. — Lighter bird flies up and settles on elder-stump ; other 



