336 



NIGHTJAR. 



nished on each side with strong- bristles, capable of diverging- or con- 

 tracting-, by means of muscles attached to their roots ; eyes very large ; 

 irides dusky. The plumage is beautifully diversified with black, brown, 

 ferruginous and white, sprinkled and dashed with cinereous ; the under 

 parts are ferruginous brown, with numerous undulated transverse lines ; 

 the legs are very short, scaly, and feathered below the knee ; the claw 

 of the middle toe serrated on the inner edge. 



The male has a large oval spot of white on the inner web of the three 

 first quill feathers, and at the end of the two outmost tail feathers. 



The female wants the white spots on the wings and tail ; in other 

 respects it is like the male. With us this bird is only a summer visi- 

 tant, appearing- about the middle of May, and dej3arting again the latter 

 end of September, or beginning- of October. It is the only species found 

 in Europe out of nineteen or twenty enumerated by different authors. 



It makes no nest, but lays two eggs on the bare ground, amongst 

 fern, heath, or long- grass, sometimes in woods or furze ; but at all 

 times contiguous to woods, where it chiefly conceals itself by day. 

 The eggs are larger than those of a blackbird, of an oblong oval, 

 whitish, elegantly marbled with light brown and ash-colour. It 

 generally sits on the ground, but if disturbed, frequently perches on 

 the limb of a tree, most commonly lengthwise, not across, as is usual 

 with most birds. In the dusk of the evening it begins its flight in 

 pursuit of the larger insects, (particulary the cockchafer, Melolontha 

 vulgaris, Fabr, and Zantheumia sofstitialis, Leach, which rise from 

 their earthy abode about that time.) Is also fond of the large-bodied 

 moths; but few winged insects escape its wide-extended mouth. 



*The use of the serrated middle claw of this bird was supposed by 

 White of Selborne, to aid it in taking its prey. 1 Mr. Dillon, on the 

 other hand, thinks that " its chief use is simply to comb out or dress 

 the vibrissa," or bristles which fringe the gape. 2 Mr. Swainson, in 

 opposition to this, says, " there is an American group of this family 

 which have no bristles round the bill, and yet have the serrated claws ; 

 and another group in Australia having bristles, and yet with the claw 

 smooth and simple. The heron tribe, in like manner, have the gape 

 (rictus) smooth, but have the claw serrated." 3 



" I was, I confess, disposed to think Mr. Dillon's account more 

 plausible than true, and to agree with White and the learned arguments 

 of Swainson, till I met with the following passage respecting the Caro- 



1 Nat. Hist. Let. 47. 2 Mag. of Nat. Hist. iii. 33. 3 lb. p. 188. 



