adjoining town it is never seen or heard. At St. Johnsbury the wh.ppoor- 
Jn is very rarely observed, while in the town of Barnet ■ .s common^ 
This species seems to prefer the lowlands, seldom bemg found m the 
more mountainous region. „,,„,;(„1 
The whippoorwill is one of my favorite birds. Bemg so plentiful 
about my boyhood home, this bird has greatly interested and dehghted 
me Many pleasant memories and associations hover around the per- 
sonality of the whippoorwill. I have heard his song at every hour of the 
night, from early twilight until dawn. In some shady place m the woods, 
I have watched the bird during the day. Several times have I found the 
spot where lay her two beautiful eggs with no apology for a nest, simply 
a depression in the leaves, and once I was fortunate enough to see the 
cunning, downy young. The whippoorwill lives chiefly upon mght-flying 
insects. 
]^lGUTB.AWK—{Chordeiles virginianus.) 
Upper parts blackish, marked with brown; under parts whitish, barred 
with black; throat white; wings and tail with conspicuous white bands. 
Female has no white on the tail, throat buffy. 
Length about ten inches. 
Arrival. May lo to 20. 
Favorite Haunts. In the air, or resting on the limb of a tree. 
Field Marks. Long pointed wings, showing a white patch; flight re- 
sembles that of a chimney swift. 
Note. A nasal "peent." 
The nighthawk is not a hawk at all, being closely related to the 
whippoorwill and the chimney swift. The name is undoubtedly derived 
from the bird's habit of flying through the air in the early evemng m 
search of food. The nighthawk is quite common in some localities and 
sparingly common in others. During the day the bird rests sitting 
lengthwise of the branches of trees. From early twilight until dark, it is 
on the wing. When high in the air the nighthawk suddenly dives down- 
ward at breakneck speed, but abruptly changes its course with an up- 
ward shoot. Just at this time a loud noise is heard which is said to be 
caused by the rushing of air through the bird's wings. Some people 
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