Wild Birds, Useful and Injurious. 
25 
wingB and tail of the male showing conspicuously in the 
waning light. It is about ten and a half inches in length, 
and its softly blended plumage of grey, brown, and buff 
harmonises perfectly with the surroundings amidst which it 
passes the day, for instance, with the trunk of a fallen lichen- 
covered Scots fir on which I saw one lying, for the nightjar 
rests lengthwise on a bough, and not across it, as most birds do. 
It is a remarkable bird in many ways ; its unobtrusive bill, 
when opened, has a surprising capacity, and its effective width 
is inpreased by the surrounding bristles ; it has a comb-like 
claw on the middle toe ; its two beautiful creamy white eggs, 
blotched with brown and lilac-grey, are laid on the ground 
without the slightest pretence of even a hollow scratched for 
their reception ; and its loud churring note is distinct from 
Fig. 4.— Nightjar (.Caprimulgus europcens). 
that of any other British bird. It is unfortunate that some 
unwise person once gave the name of Night Hawk to this 
species ; the designation has been quite enough to cause 
unintelligent game-preservers, by no means a limited class, 
to destroy these delightful birds. A glance at their soft bills 
and feeble feet renders the idea that they take game as 
ridiculous as the fable that they suck the milk of cows 
and goats. 
Though the note of the Cuckoo is familiar to every one, 
there are many who do not know the bird by sight. It is 
