sharp hooks on the legs of insects, while some have supposed
they are supplied to rid the birds of vermin.
The Nightjar makes little or no nest, but under the shelter
of a bush takes advantage of any slight depression in the
ground, in which she deposits two eggs, which are generally
laid during the first week in June.- The eggs are nearly oval
in form, beautifully clouded and veined with bluish grey on a
white ground ; the- length one inch two lines,, by ,ten lines
and a half in breadth. The young are at first covered with
down, they are not difficult to rear when takeny and I have
known them to be kept through .their first winter; but those,
I have had opportunities of observing never attempted to
feed themselves*
The Nightjar is common in most of the southern counties
of England, particularly in Surrey^ Sussex, Hampshire,
Wiltshire, Dorsetshire, and westward to Cornwall,^especially
in all the uninclosed wooded parts- of these counties. Its
occurrence in South Wales has .dbeen-already .referred to.
Mr. Thompson sends me word that it is” a- constant summer
visiter to Pertain doealitiesdn Ireland,Jifid oJgrare but of ©epai.
sional occurrence in other parts. I t is a common bird in
Cumberland and Westmoreland, and according to Mr. H aw k e r
ridge it inhabits the sea coast about Scarborough^ and:
though not uncommon in several parts of Scotland, Mr. Dunn
Could: not hear of it in OrkneyJ and only saw; one example in
Shetland, which was considered a very,great curiosity.' § Muller
and M. Nilsson include it among the Birds of Denmark
and Scandinavia; Pennant, in his Arctic Zoology-,.:says d t is
common over Siberia and Kampschatska, where it lives n o t
only in forests, but dh) open countries, finding rocks and high
banks for shelter. I t is found, as might be' expected^ over
the southern part of the European continent, particularly
Spain, Proyence1, and Italy, and has bpen. obser-vedas far to
the eastward as the countries between the Black and the Caspian
Seas.
The upper mandible of the beak, extending but little from
the foreheady is» black, with nine or ten stiff bristles arranged
along the edge on each sidovj. the under mandible also black
at the. point, but fpaile»brown at^lidbase,'; the gape very wide
and extehdikg4so far backwards as do- bring the angle in a vertical
line®undfqr|: the posterior fedgeypf the eye ;. the. irides
^sfey black ; tfie ; lop &#lhe.head is pale greyish brown, produced?
by. dark'minute? specks oma. yellowish white ground ; a
dark 'central stripe^of«blackish brown feathers- passessSto the
nape ’’oJdhe7n®ckdhe#Cax-ic6yiertS|iiahd a-patch|6f feathers on
ea6h side behind the:.earLG'dverts are^al^q^dlirk- brown, bounded
below- and - behindowith pal cm^mwtsh brown, thus! dividing
the freckl'edsgrey, 001011®)!'' ine heh^’ from thatl'^l the back,
rump, and ipflfy tad-doV^t^Vthe^^G’apularies anteriorly, and
on the outer side'^^jre boanlfodycby darkv brown," mixed with
some^yelldw brown y/dhk-anferifor part 0‘||t|M^wilig,is**alfep dark
hrownf funded- p o ste rity with« di^Se® brown ^ the quill-
feather's* dark brown, spetted-qn bo,th • w ebsslptk ytjsl o\v brown,
and tfppcd ; the* first; t^ree primaries on each sMC,
in -th'e-maler^bird, ha've^a."yell|defin ed- obl'ong#,pafehl ofi pure
wMtei?sdn - the-'inneS^bb ; the middle: «tail-feathers- freckled
grey,^lth^^wifc|)r eight darker transvefse -bars-; theidwo
|p«£fce| feathersfon "each? dark brown, barred with.yeT
low brown^oim both'webs, and in the males-yAese tv^® feathers
mtfii^lcK>*'side have broad endsyeff pure whitdi#* all the under
's.ii^a1c^0hfthe|fbi£dy from the chimtohtkc undlsr tail-coverts*,- is
of a-ypalC brown'.», with numerpus^feratisver^ bars of
darkei’ffiJ^wn ;' «'bot^fse^el'1 with “"a-«' feW feathers" below
the angle ofbhB^gapot on? each sides$ the lpg.%ftpe£ and’ claws
orange- oioWn ;> v the middlepwP^long, ^M|/fumished with a
comb-like appar&;fesio4|^%i''Orr,eight small teeth on the inner
edge of the thin and dilatediclalvy:$
The ^ f^ ^ ^ lg tfi^ o f tHelfbird' ten» inches and a half; from
the carpal joint to the end: ofi thawing seven .inches, and three