. The naturalist's library; containing scientific and popular descriptions of man, quadrupeds, birds, fishes, reptiles and insects; . by feathers; tail round, or forked, of ten feathers; legs short, the anterior toes united tothe first joint; middle claw long, and serrated on the edge, but smooth in some of thespecies; hind toe reversible. 3 Caprimvlgus Europceus, Lin. AVES—GOATSUCKER. 573 has, likv ill the kind, a number of bristles about the bill. It makes no nest,but lays its eggs on the bare ground, or some loose crag, without any seem-ing care whatever. It is a great destroyer of cockchaf
. The naturalist's library; containing scientific and popular descriptions of man, quadrupeds, birds, fishes, reptiles and insects; . by feathers; tail round, or forked, of ten feathers; legs short, the anterior toes united tothe first joint; middle claw long, and serrated on the edge, but smooth in some of thespecies; hind toe reversible. 3 Caprimvlgus Europceus, Lin. AVES—GOATSUCKER. 573 has, likv ill the kind, a number of bristles about the bill. It makes no nest,but lays its eggs on the bare ground, or some loose crag, without any seem-ing care whatever. It is a great destroyer of cockchaffers and beetles; andits note resembles the noise of a spinning wheel. From its nocturnal habits,it has been called the night hawk, and the churn owl. It visits Englandabout May, and returns in August. There appears to be no other groundfor the ridiculous story of its sucking the goats, but the width of its mouth,which is to be accounted for on much more rational principles. Thecountry people (says Mr White) have a notion that the fern owl, or churnowl, or eve jar, which they call a puckeridge, is very injurious to w( ftnir/g. calves, by inflicting, as it strikes at them, a fatal distemper, known to cow-leeches by the name of puckeridge. Thus does this harmless, ill-fated bird,fall under a double imputation, which it by no means deserves — in Italy,of sucking the teats of goats, whence it is called caprimulgus, and with us,of communicating a deadly disorder to cattle. The least observation andattention would convince men that these birds neither injure the goatherdnor the grazier. Mr Waterton, also, has pointed out, that the strikingat the cattle, as the sapient rustics call it, is, in fact, the leap which the birdmakes at the nocturnal flies which are tormenting the herd ; and that, withmore good sense than their masters possess, the cattle are aware of, andgrateful for, the service which the bird thus renders to them. 574 AVES—NIGHT HAWK THE NIGHT
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, bookidnaturalistsl, bookyear1851
