The Goatsuckek.- 
■BIRDS. The GoATaucKEit. 
275 
or Fern-cliafers. The powers of its wing,” he says, 
“ were wonderful, exceeding, if possible, the various 
evolutions and quick turns of the swallow genus. But 
the circumstance that pleased me most was, that I 
saw it distinctly more than once put out its short 
leg whilst on the wing, and, by a bend of the head, 
deliver somewhat into its mouth. Tf it takes any part 
of its prey with its foot, as I have now the greatest 
reason to suppose it does these chafers, I no longer 
wonder at the use of its middle toe, which is curiously 
furnished with a serrated claw.” Mr. Atkinson also 
takes this view, and mentions his having seen the 
Goatsucker taking its prey with its feet; adding, “ Pro- 
bably its serrated claw may assist this operation.” 
Considerable doubt is thrown upon this view, however, 
by the position and nature of the serrations, and by the 
fact that the Goatsucker has never been seen, when in 
confinement, to seize insects with the foot. Moreover, 
the conformation of the mouth itself, so admirably 
adapted as it is for seizing insects on the wing, must 
be regarded as an additional argument against this view. 
The opinion has been put forward by several orni- 
thologists, and very generally received, that the middle 
claw of this bird w'as intended to be used for combing 
its moustaches, if we may use the expression, so as to 
free them from any fragments of its prey ; but this 
notion is negatived by the fact, that the teeth are too 
close together to admit the bristles between them. 
Other opinions have been advanced by various natu- 
ralists ; but the only one that deserves notice is that of 
M. De la Fresnaye, which indeed appears likely to be 
the true one. That distinguished ornithologist calls 
attention to the fact, that the Common Goatsucker, and 
all its immediate allies in which this form of claw 
prevails, rest upon the branches of trees in the direction 
of their length, so that they as it were ride upon the 
convexity of the branch. The structure of the feet, 
as M. De la Fresnaye points out, is wonderfully adapted 
to this peculiar position. The posterior toe is articu- 
culated to the inside of the extremity of the tarsus, 
and, as already stated, has a forward tendency. By 
this means the small sharp claw with which it is termi- 
nated is rendered available, like that of a thumb, for 
clinging to the back of a branch. This is also the 
case with the inner, anterior toe ; and the teeth of the 
inner margin of the middle claw will also evidently 
come into play, and give the bird a secure hold upon 
its seemingly precarious resting-place. If this explana- 
tion, which is certainly very plausible, be the true one, 
there can be no doubt that the Goatsuckers are espe- 
cially organized for holding their peculiar position upon 
the branches ; but the object of their taking such a 
position is still to be discovered. 
The Goatsucker usually arrives in this country about 
the middle of Maj'' ; so that it is, with one exception, 
the latest of all our migratory birds. It is also very 
early in taking its departure, quitting our shores at the 
end of August or the early part of September. Never- 
theless, in this short period it finds time to distribute 
itself very widely over the country, as it is by no means 
confined to the southern parts of Britain, but is a 
common bird in Scotland, extending even to the most 
northern parts of that country. Occasionally, speci- 
mens are known to linger in the southern counties of 
England long after the main body has taken its 
departure ; for individuals have been shot in Cornwall 
and Devonshire as late as the month of November. 
In this country the Goatsucker is usually met with 
about moors, heaths, and commons ; but it also fre- 
quents young woods. It is very fond of basking upon 
the gi'ound in the sun, under the shelter of a bush ; 
and when thus engaged, it lies very close, so that it 
may almost be trodden upon before it offers to move. 
Its period of activity is the twilight, when it may be 
seen hawking about after its favourite food ; sweep- 
ing swiftly round the trees frequented by beetles and 
moths, of which it destroys great numbers. It is 
frequently asserted by ornithologists that the Goatsucker 
flies with its mouth wide open, gaping for its prey ; and 
hence the French have given it the name of Eiujou- 
levent. This notion, however, appears to be erroneous, 
and the bird probably does not open his mouth until 
he is just about to seize his prey. The note of the 
bird, which is only emitted by the male, is a sort 
of whirring sound, compared by many writers to the 
noise made by a spinning-wheel ; hence he is known as 
the Wheel-bird in some districts, and in others as the 
Night-churr, Night-jar, and Churn-owl. The Goat- 
sucker is also called the Night-hawk and Dor-hav)h ; 
the latter name having reference to his predilection for 
night-flying beetles, which are often called dors ; and 
likewise the Fern-owl, from his liking for fern brakes 
as a place of abode. The name of Goatsucker — which 
is applied to this bird in almost all languages, from the 
time of the Greeks and Romans, whose names FEgotheles 
and Caprirnulgus had the same meaning, down to the 
present time — refers to the bird’s supposed habit of 
sucking the milk of goats and other domestic animals 
during the night ; a suspicion which has doubtless given 
the bird a bad character in the minds of many farmers, 
whilst, by the destruction of vast numbers of cock- 
chafers, it is in reality one of their best friends. The 
cause of this opinion has been indicated by Le Vaillant. 
He says that there is no doubt that the Goatsuckers 
frequent the folds in which goats and sheep are penned 
up for the night, but that this is by no means with the 
felonious intention usually ascribed to them ; oir the 
contrary, they are attracted to such places solely by 
the numerous insects which are to be met with there, 
attracted in their turn by the accumulation of impu- 
rities. The shepherds and herdsmen noticing the birds 
descending among the animals under their charge, but 
not knowing their object in so doing, unfortunately 
put a wrong construction upon their proceedings, and 
thus fixed a somewhat libellous appellation upon a very 
harmless bird. Another curious notion has prevailed 
with regard to the Goatsucker, namely, that it not only 
flies with its mouth wide open, as already stated, but 
that in order to enable it to do this, the roof of the mouth 
is rendered transparent, so that the bird, whilst flying- 
in pursuit of its insect prey, is enabled, by turning its 
eyes dovmwards, to see through the palate and thus 
direct its course. It is scarcely necessary to say that 
this idea is quite destitute of foundation. The roof of 
the mouth is indeed very thin and membranous, but 
by no means sufficiently translucent to allow any object 
