THE NATURAL HISTORY 
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The legs are fiiort; the toes united by a membiane as 
far as the full joint; the claw of the middle toe in iome fpe- 
cies ferrated. 
The birds of this genus bear the fame relation 
to Swallows, as Owls to the rapacious birds: 
their habits and manners are very firebar, but like 
Owls, they take their food in an evening. 
The Goatfucker feeds principally upon gnats, 
beetles,, and moths. He begins his chace when 
the fun is near the horizon ; and if he appear in 
the middle of the day, it is only when the wea¬ 
ther is cloudy, his flight then is low, and not long 
continued, bccaufe his eyes are unpleafantly af¬ 
fected w’ich the glare of light. 
Like the Swallow tribe, he is not under the 
neceffity of flapping his feak every time he gets 
an infeCt into his mouth, for it is furnifhed with 
a kind of glue, which entangles, and retains his 
prey. 
Goatfuckers with us are migratory birds, 
arriving in England in May, and departing in 
Auguft. 
They do not give themfelves the trouble of 
building a neft; a little hole upon the ground, 
in a flony place, at the foot of a tree, or of a 
reck, anfwers their purpofe; there the female lays 
two eggs j file fits upon them very afiduoufly; 
and 
