Manitoba Birds, Robert Miller Christy. 
Among the trees on the sand-hills and in the 
! bluffs the Night Hawk, ( Chordeiles popetue,) is 
abundant, and makes itself very conspicuous 
towards evening by its loud scream, by booming, 
and by displaying during flight the unmistakable 
white patch on each wing. Not unfrequently it 
may be seen on the wing at mid-day ; and it al- 
| ways makes an appearance long before sunset, 
J sailing about at a great height and screaming fre- 
quently. After flying awhile over the head of 
any intruder, it suddenly spreads its wings and, 
giving a wide swoop downwards, emits a loud 
booming noise, which lias gafned for it in some 
parts of America the name of “ Bull Bat.” That 
this noise is made over one’s head in order to 
j threaten, or intimidate seems tome pretty certain, 
but I have also, I believe, heard it emitted at a 
distance, without any such object. It breeds 
commonly among the trees on the sand-hills. One 
I day early in August we found a nest, or rather 
two young ones — for nest there was none — about 
i three days old, with the egg-shells lying near 
Though so young, one of the nestlings, which we 
afterwards proved by dissection to be a male, was 
very pugnacious, and snapped his bill menacingly 
when touched ; the other was perfectly quiet, so 
we concluded, though we could not prove it, that 
it belonged to “the gentler sex.” While we were 
at the nest the old birds were, as usual, very so- 
licitous for the safety of their young, settling on 
trees, fallen logs, the ground, and fluttering round 
to draw off our attention. The number of old 
birds began to get very much less by the end of 
August, but a few were nevertheless seen until 
well on into September — one as late as the 11th. 
After the migration commenced they were not un- 
j frequently seen in the evenings flying over in 
; large straggling parties, circling about as they 
proceeded. These parties usually travelled south- 
j west, I believe, though this is not the direction 
usually chosen by the other birds of the district 
when moving south. 
©-& 0 . X.June. 1885.pi, t J / 
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The night-hawk puzzles me. On the 16 th I saw a flock^ of 
five traveling south east. On the afternoon of the j7th I 
saw a flock of nine or more going south. These two flobks 
with the one of the I2th. of which I wrote you made it seem 
evident that the migration was really under way; but withm 
an hour after seeing my flock of nine moving south, 1 saw 
a flock of ten going duen orth as fast as their wings could 
carry them. Does not this look as if all we can say is 
that they are flocking and moving about, perhaps actually mi 
grating, and perhaps only making ready." Ml 
rev, letter of August QO.J 
rad ford ior 
