‘ WHIP-POOR-WILL. 
615 
ries chequered with dark spots. — Male, with the 3 outer tail- 
feathers white at the summits. — In the female the same part is 
pale ochreous, as well as the crescent line on the throat. 
This remarkable and well known nocturnal bird ar- 
rives in the Middle States about the close of April, or 
the beginning of May, and proceeds, in his vernal migra- 
tions along the Atlantic States, to the centre of Massa- 
chusetts, being rare and seldom seen beyond the latitude 
of 43° ; and yet in the interior of the continent, accord- 
ing to Vieillott, they continue as far as Hudson’s bay, and 
were heard, as usual, by Mr. Say, at Pembino in the 
high latitude of 49°. In all this vast intermediate space, 
as far south as Natchez on the Mississippi, and the inte- 
rior of Arkansas, they familiarly breed and take up their 
temporary residence. In the eastern part of Massachu- 
setts, however, they are uncommon, and always affect shel- 
tered, wild, and hilly situations. About the same time 
that the sweetly echoing voice of the Cuckoo is first 
heard in the north of Europe, issuing from the leafy 
groves, as the sure harbinger of the flowery month of 
May, arrives amongst us, in the shades of night, the myste- 
rious ‘ Whip-poor-wilU The well known saddening sound 
is first only heard in the distant forest, reechoing from 
the lonely glen or rocky cliff ; at length, the oft-told soli- 
tary tale is uttered from the fence of the adjoining field or 
garden, and sometimes the slumbering inmates of the 
cottage are serenaded from the low roof or from some dis- 
tant shed. Superstition, gathering terror from every ex- 
traordinary feature of nature, has not suffered this harm- 
less nocturnal babbler to escape suspicion, and his fa- 
miliar approaches are sometimes dreaded as an omen of 
misfortune. 
In the lower part of the state of Delaware, I have found 
these birds troublesomely abundant in the breeding sea- 
