188 The Night-gar. 
to it by the superstition and ignorance of naturalists 
of olden times. It was said this bird found its way 
in the night season to the pens of goats, and sucked 
their dugs, thereby poisoning them to such a degree 
that the animal went blind, and the udder dried up; 
but this popular name of past days is fast dying 
away, and the name Night-jar is used, which is 
more characteristic of this bird, from the jarring noise 
made by it while at rest and perched on a tree. This 
sound resembles the weak spring of a watchman’s 
rattle swung quickly round, often changing to diffe- 
rent parts of the district, and may frequently be heard 
in the evenings of June. When this bird utters its 
humming noise, it is said to perch on a bough with its 
feet resting lengthwise, as its claws are not adapted for 
crasping ; but I have often seen it sitting across a huge 
limb of a tree in a skulking attitude. A naked spot is 
generally chosen by it to alight, such as a dead arm 
of a tree, or a stem without any twigs. It is at such 
times and places as are last described the Night-jar 
indulges in its volumes of sound. The bird is to be 
found near wild places, such as moors, heathy dis- 
