. American bird magazine, ornithology. Birds. AMERIOAN ORNITHOLOGY. 143 ularly noisy. Often when I have been camping, have they kept us awake for hours with their whip-poor-wills, coming from first one side of the tent, then the other and sounding startlingly loud and clear. We would often sit outside the tent watching for them but, while their voices would be continually changing their location, we would only oc- casionally catch a glimpse of one when he flitted by within a few feet of us or against the sky directly overhead. Quite often they will swoop down close to you and so quiet is their
. American bird magazine, ornithology. Birds. AMERIOAN ORNITHOLOGY. 143 ularly noisy. Often when I have been camping, have they kept us awake for hours with their whip-poor-wills, coming from first one side of the tent, then the other and sounding startlingly loud and clear. We would often sit outside the tent watching for them but, while their voices would be continually changing their location, we would only oc- casionally catch a glimpse of one when he flitted by within a few feet of us or against the sky directly overhead. Quite often they will swoop down close to you and so quiet is their passage that you will feel rather than see or hear them, although at times, they will utter a guttural cluck as they pass. On account of their mournful and uncanny cries, they are often regarded by the superstitious as birds of ill omen, and are consequently disliked by many; they are, however, one of our most useful birds; fortunately their habits of seclusion during the day time, and their protective coloration makes them so inconspicuous that few of them are Like the Chuck-will's-widows they lay their two eggs upon the leaves with no attempt at nest building, in fact it is this absence of a nest that renders both the eggs and the young so difficult to find, for they each resemble the ground so closely that they can hardly be seen ten feet away. The mother bird hangs very closely to her chrrges and often ruffles her feathers up and hisses at an intruder. When they have young, they usually feign lameness in order to draw attention to them- selves. The young are covered with a sc^t white down and a few days after hatching follow their parents about on the ground; the adults waddle or hop awkwardly, but the young are quite nimble. Although Whip-poor-wills are quite common, they are, of course, much oftener heard than seen and a great many persons, seeing Night- hawks, call them these birds; we frequently meet with individuals that refuse to believe there is any differe
Size: 1844px × 1355px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1903
