WHIP-POOR-WILL. 
251 
liim Mr. Edwards, in his sixty-third plate, has in like manner figured 
the Night-hawk, also adding the bristles, and calling his figure the 
Whip-poor-will, accompanying it with particulars of the notes, &c, of 
that bird, chiefly copied from Catesby. The next writer of eminence 
who has spoken of the Whip-poor-will is Mr. Pennant, justly considered 
as one of the most judicious and discriminating of English naturalists; 
but, deceived by " the lights he bad," he has in his account of the Short- 
winged Goatsucker* (Arct. Zool. p. 434), given the size, markings of 
plumage, &c, of the Chuck-will 's-uridow ; and in the succeeding account 
of his Long-winged Goatsucker, describes pretty accurately the Night- 
hawk. Both of these birds he considers to be the Whip-poor-will, and 
as having the same notes and manners. 
After such authorities it was less to be wondered at that many of our 
own citizens and some of our naturalists and writers should fall into the 
like mistake ; as copies of the works of those English naturalists are to 
be found in several of our colleges, and in some of our public as well as 
private libraries. The means which the author of American Ornithology 
took to satisfy his own mind, and those of his friends, on this subject, 
were detailed at large, in a paper published about two years ago, in a 
periodical work of this city, with which extract I shall close my account 
of the present species. 
" On the question is the Whip-poor-will and the Night-hawk one and 
the same bird, or are they really two distinct species, there has long 
been an opposition of sentiment, and many fruitless disputes. Numbers 
of sensible and observing people, Avhose intelligence and long residence 
in the country entitle their opinion to respect, positively assert that the 
Night-hawk and the Whip-poor-will are very different birds, and do not 
even associate together. The naturalists of Europe, however, have 
generally considered the two names as applicable to one and the same 
species ; and this opinion has also been adopted by two of our most dis- 
tinguished naturalists, Mr. William Bartram, of Kingsessing,f and Pro- 
fessor Barton, of Philadelphia.! The writer of this, being determined 
to ascertain the truth by examining for himself, took the following 
effectual mode of settling this disputed point, the particulars of which 
he now submits to those interested in the question. 
" Thirteen of those birds usually called Night-hawks, which dart 
about in. the air like Swallows, and sometimes descend with rapidity 
from a great height, making a hollow sounding noise like that produced 
* The figure is by mistake called the Long-winged Goatsucker. See Arctic 
Zoology, vol. ii., pi. 18. 
f Caprimulgus Americanus, Night-hawk or Whip-poor-will. Travels, p. 202. 
t Caprimuhjus Virginianvs, Whip-poor-will or Night-hawk. Fragments of the 
Natural History of Pennsylvania, p. 3. See also Amer. Phil. Trans, vol. iv., p. 
208, 209, note. 
