74 
THE W II I P-P 0 0 R-W ILL. 
But to resume my relation : That the owl was the mur- 
derer of the unfortunate Crow, there could be no doubt. 
No other bird of prey was in sight; I had not fired my gun 
since I entered the wood ; nor heard any one else shoot : 
besides, the unequivocal situation in which I found the 
parties, would have been sufficient, before any ‘ twelve good 
men and true/ or a jury of Crows, to have convicted him 
of his guilt. It is proper to add, that I avenged the death 
of the hapless Crow, by a well-aimed shot at the felonious 
robber, that extended him breathless on the ground.” 
THE WHIP-POOR-WILL. (Caprimulgus vociferus.^) 
This celebrated bird is common in various parts of the 
United States. Its name is derived from its notes, which 
seem pretty plainly to articulate the words whip-poor-will , 
the first and last syllable being uttered with great emphasis, 
and the whole in about a second to each repetition. It has 
been sometimes confounded with the two other species of 
the genus, the church-will’ s-widow and the night-hawk. 
Mr. Wilson, however, has settled the question, by examin- 
ing and accurately describing the different species. The 
Whip-poor-will is nine inches long and nineteen in extent ; 
the bill is blackish, a quarter of an inch long, much stronger 
