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THE WHITE-BELLIED NIGHTJAR . 
some bird, and is generally found in the deepest bushes upon the banks of rivers of New 
South Wales. Its scientific title is Podcii'giis plwnifeTus. 
. The New Holland Goat-sucker is a very fine and beautifully marked bird, its plumage 
being richly mottled with black and brown upon its upper surface, while the under surface 
is rusty gray, curiously variegated with buff. The tail is barred with darker bands. 
This bird is very owl-like in its appearance and many of its habits, and has therefrom 
received the popular title of Owlet Nightjar. In the shape of its head, and the steady 
upright carriage, it bears a great resemblance to the Coquimbo Owl, a likeness which is further 
GREAT-EARED GOAT-SUCKER .— Balrachostomus auritus. 
carried out by the sharp, angry hiss which it emits when irritated. Like the owls, it also 
possesses the habit of twisting its head so that the beak is brought on a level with the spine. 
The New Holland Goat-sucker resides in the hollow branches of the eucalypti, technically 
called “ spouts” by the colonists. When the sportsman wishes to know whether a “ spout” 
is occupied by one of these birds, he has nothing more to do than to administer a sharp tap to 
the branch with a stick or axe. Should the bird be at home, it runs quickly to the entrance, 
pops out its head, and, after surveying the intruder for a moment, retires into the seclusion of 
its domicile. It will repeat this process several times, but at last loses patience at the frequent 
interruptions, and fairly takes to flight. In these “spouts” the eggs are laid, being placed 
simply upon the soft decaying wood. The eggs are white in color, and from three to five in 
number. There are generally two broods of young in the year. The bird is nocturnal, and 
its principal food consists of insects, mostly of the coleopterous order. 
A closely allied species is worthy of notice on account of the very singular arrangement 
of color upon its head. 
This is the White-bellied Nightjar (. LEgotheles leucogaster ), which maybe distinguished 
from all its relatives by the white hue of the under surface of its body, and the three broad 
