4 
CAPHIMULGUS CAROLINENSIS. 
detail the manners of the common whip-poor-will, by 
extracts from Dr Garden and Mr Kalm, which clearly 
prove that all of them were personally unacquainted 
with that bird ; and had never seen or examined any 
other than two of our species, the short-winged or 
chuck-will’s-widow, and the long-winged, or night 
hawk, to both of which they indiscriminately attribute 
the notes and habits of the whip-poor-wiU. 
The chuck-will’s-widow, so called from its notes, 
which seem exactly to articulate these words, arrives 
on the sea coast of Georgia about the middle of March, 
and in Virginia early in April. It commences its 
singular call generally in the evening, soon after sunset, 
and continues it, with short occasional interruptions, for 
several hours. Towards morning these repetitions arc 
renewed, and continue until dawn has fairly appeared. 
During the day it is altogether silent. This note, or 
call, instantly attracts the attention of a stranger, and 
is strikingly different from that of the whip-poor-will. 
In sound and articulation it seems plainly to express 
the words which have been applied to it ('chuck-n-ilTs- 
widow,) pronouncing each syllable leisurely and dis- 
tinctly, putting the principal emphasis on the last word. 
In a still evening it may bo heard at the distance of 
nearly a mile, the tones of its voice being stronger and 
more full than those of the whip-poor-will, who utters 
his with much greater rapidity. In the Chickasaw 
country, and throughotit the whole Mississippi territory, 
I found the present species very numerous in the months 
of April and May, keeping up a continued noise during 
the whole evening, and, in moonlight, throughout the 
whole of the night. 
The night of this bird is low, skimming about at a 
few feet above the surface of the ground, frequently 
settling on old logs, or on the fences, and from thence 
sweeping' around, in pursuit of various winged insects 
that lly m the night. Like the whip-poor-will, it pre- 
fers the declivities of glens and other deeply shaded 
places, making the surrounding mountains ring with 
echoes the whole evening. I several times called the 
