WHIP-POOR-WILL. 
17 
where I also saw it. From this time until the begin- 
ning* of September, there were none of these birds to be 
found within at least one mile of the place ; though I 
frequently made search for them. On the 4th of Sep- 
tember, the whip-poor-will was again heard for two 
evenings, successively, in the same part of the woods. 
I also heard several of them passing, within the same 
week, between dusk and nine o’clock at night, it being 
then clear moonlight. These repeated their notes three 
or four times, and were heard no more. It is highly 
probable that they migrate during the evening and 
night. 
The whip-poor-will is nine inches and a half long, 
and nineteen inches in extent ; the bill is blackish, a 
full quarter of an inch long, much stronger than that of 
the night hawk, and bent a little at the point, the under 
mandible arched a little upwards, following the curva- 
ture of the upper ; the nostrils are prominent and 
tubular, their openings directed forward ; the mouth is 
extravagantly large, of a pale flesh colour within, and 
beset along the sides with a number of long, thick, 
elastic bristles, the longest of which extends more than 
half an inch beyond the point of the bill, end in fine 
hair, and curve inwards ; these seem to serve as feelers ; 
and prevent the escape of winged insects : the eyes are 
very large, full, and bluish black ; the plumage above 
is so variegated with black, pale cream, brown, and rust 
colour, sprinkled and powdered in such minute streaks 
and spots, as to defy description; the upper part of the 
head is of a light brownish gray, marked with a longi- 
tudinal streak of black, with others radiating from it ; 
the back is darker, finely streaked with a less deep 
black ; the scapulars are very light whitish ochre, 
beautifully variegated with two or three oblique streaks 
of very deep black ; the tail is rounded, consisting of 
ten feathers, the exterior one an inch and a quarter 
shorter than the middle ones, the three outer feathers 
on each side are blackish brown for half their length, 
thence pure white to the tips, the exterior one is edged 
with deep brown nearly to the tip ; the deep brown of 
VOL. IL b 
