WHIP-POOR-WILL. 
13 
retired part of the woods, the glen, or mountain ; in a 
few evenings, perhaps, we hear them from the adjoining 
coppice, the garden fence, the road before the door, and 
even from the roof of the dwelling-house, long after 
the family have retired to rest. Some of the more 
ignorant and superstitious considered this near ap- 
proach as foreboding no good to the family, nothing 
less than sickness, misfortune, or death, to some of its 
members ; these visits, however, so often occur with- 
out any had consequences, that this superstitious dread 
seems on the decline. 
He is now a regular acquaintance. Every morning 
and evening his shrill and rapid repetitions are heard 
from the adjoining woods, and when two or more are 
calling out at the same time, as is often the case in the 
pairing season, and at no great distance from each 
other, the noise, mingling with the echoes from the 
mountains, is really surprising. Strangers, in parts of 
the country where these birds are numerous, find it 
almost impossible for some time to sleep ; while to those 
long acquainted with them, the sound often serves as a 
lullaby to assist their repose. 
These notes seem pretty plainly to articulate the 
words which have been generally applied to them, 
whip-poor-will , the first and last syllables being uttered 
with great emphasis, and the whole in about a second 
to each repetition ; but when two or more males meet, 
their whip-poor-will altercations become much more 
rapid and incessant, as if each were straining to over- 
power or silence the other. When near, you often 
hear an introductory cluck between the notes. At 
these times, as well as at almost all others, they fly 
low, not more than a few feet from the surface, skim- 
ming about the house and before the door, alighting 
on the wood pile, or settling on the roof. Towards 
midnight they generally become silent, unless in clear 
moonlight, when they are heard with little intermission 
till morning. If there be a creek near, with high 
precipitous bushy banks, they are sure to be found in 
such situations. During the day they sit in the most 
