singing birds. I was also again reminded of the boys' water- 
whistle; the resemblance is certainly an obvious one. 
When within about thirty feet of the earth, the 
song is abruptly cut short, and with the speed and direst- 
ness of an arrow's flight the performer glides down on set 
wings to near the starting place. Several times when he 
passed near us the rush of his wings was very audible. 
When he first alighted, he stood for a moment in a stooping 
posture, then made a short, gliding run, stopped and with 
a preliminary pt-ul uttered his harsh pa-ap . Then he ran 
a few steps more and ag&in gave his singular cry. After 
three or four runs, he seemed to find a spot to his liking 
and would then remain nearly motionless, bleating however 
at intervals of about fifteen seconds, until he again took 
flight. Just before each cry his tail was jerked up with 
an automaton-like motion, and as the sounds followed his 
head was suddenly thrown back and his throat perceptibly 
swelled. Mr. Robbins told us that he alighted regularly in 
nearly the same spot each evening. Mr. R. also thinks that 
this nightly song ceases as soon as the eggs are laid. He 
has never known it continued after the light had entirely 
faded from the western sky, except on one occasion, a moon¬ 
light night, when it was protracted until nearly 9 P.M. With 
the first faint streaks of dawn it is again resumed and con¬ 
tinues until broad daylight. 
