496 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



bird flies after her, passes her, settles somewhere near, and 

 " churrs." Bird on stump flies down almost directly to chicks, 

 and feeds them as usual. She is careful, as it seems to me, to 

 feed both, and not one only. The light-coloured chick is very 

 greedy, but she dodged his importunate bill some half a dozen 

 times and fed the other. During feeding the other bird flew by. 



9 o'clock. — Lighter bird flies off. The two birds (as I think 

 them to be) now together circle near about in the air. A bird 

 settles somewhere close by on the ground, then rises and flies off 

 with the " choo-oo-oo-oo " note, and clapping the wings repeat- 

 edly. Then settles (probably the same) somewhere near, and 

 continues to " churr." 



9.6. — The lighter bird circles round, making the most 

 astonishing twists and zigzags in the air, and certainly seeming 

 to pursue insects. I can see no insects, though I should certainly 

 see anything like a cockchafer or fair-sized moth. Again she 

 flies by, near, doing the same. My theory is that the bird 

 engulphs numerous minute insects (much as a Whale does In- 

 fusoria), and disgorges them into the chick's mouth as a pulp.* 

 Several times during this the male bird (as I take it to be) has 

 sat near churring, then rising with " choo-oo-oo-oo," and clapping 

 of wings. 



9.15. — Hen bird flies up, uttering a note like " chug chug 

 chug," and settles on stump. Has nothing in beak that I can 

 see. If she had anything, perhaps she would be less likely to 

 utter a note ; but this must go for nothing, as I have observed 

 that small birds (Redstarts) bring food in their bills, yet make a 

 plaintive cry in neighbourhood of the nest. In a minute she 

 flies down and feeds the chicks. One (the lighter one probably) 



* It is true that I never observed the bird flying with its mouth open, 

 but neither did I ever observe it open its mouth during those astonishing 

 twists and twirls (presumably after insects). The beak need not be widely 

 opened for many minute insects to be swallowed whilst sailing through a 

 strata of such, nor need it be continuously opened. The Nightjar, it must 

 be remembered, flies and feeds by night, when it is both dark and people are 

 in bed. Still, I find in Seebohm's ' History of British Birds ' the following : 

 " The bird has been said to hunt for its food with its large mouth wide 

 open, but this is certainly an error." The first part of the sentence impresses 

 me more than the last. Why has the bird its tremendous bristle-fringed 

 gape ? Other birds catch individual insects as cleverly without it. 



