(_two-thirds Nat. size_)]
The Night Jars, or Fern Owls, as they are sometimes called, are found
throughout all divisions of our globe, with the exception of its most
northern latitudes; two species are met with in Europe, and others occur
in America, Africa, and Asia. Though thus spread over the face of the
earth, the actual habitat of this group is somewhat limited; certain
amongst them occupy mountains, others frequent desert tracts or fruitful
plains, but all keep to a certain extent within the limits of their
appointed domain, their plumage being usually coloured so as to harmonise
and blend with the tints of the rocks, sand, or tree trunks, among which
they pass the greatest portion of their lives. Such of these birds as
dwell in tropical forests do not migrate; and the greater number skim
over the surrounding country at certain seasons; but all those inhabiting
northern latitudes withdraw in the autumn towards the south. It is only
during these migratory excursions--which often extend as far as the
interior of Africa--that the Night Jars exhibit anything like a social
disposition; in their native haunts each pair keeps entirely apart from
others, and never allows the slightest intrusion within the precincts
of the locality selected for its abode. It may occasionally happen
that some tempting neighbourhood will induce several couples to settle
comparatively near together, but under any circumstances the same utter
want of intercourse among them is observable. Towards man they by no
means exhibit this want of sociability, and in most parts of the earth
more or less frequent the immediate vicinity of his dwellings. Almost all
these birds seek for insects--upon which they principally subsist--during
the night, and retire to sleep within their favourite recesses as soon
as morning dawns; but some American species are an exception to this
rule, as they fly about in quest of prey not only in the daylight, but
even when exposed to the full glare of the sun. Upon the ground they may
be said to recline, rather than to perch or sit, and their gait, when
attempting to take a few steps over its surface, is remarkably clumsy;
their powers of flight, however, make ample amends for this deficiency,
combining the facility and swiftness with which we are familiar in the
movements of the Falcon and the Swallow.
The sight of the Night Jars is very keen, their hearing tolerably well
developed, and their temperament by no means so sluggish as those
who only see them drowsily perched among the branches during the day
are usually inclined to suppose. They make no nest, and are content
to deposit their eggs upon the naked ground, without even such scant
preparation as the hollowing out of a slight cavity in which they might
be more securely placed. Audubon tells us that it is not uncommon for the
female, when disturbed, to conceal an egg in her mouth, and hurry with
it to a spot where she can brood upon it unobserved. The young (usually
not more than one or two in number) are tended and provided for with
great care. Despite the important services rendered by this family, its
members are in most countries regarded with unaccountable disfavour. One
idea prevalent among the peasantry in some parts of Europe is so absurd
that we cannot refrain from mentioning it; we allude to the idea that
some species of Night Jars employ their huge jaws in relieving the goats
of their milk--a superstition from whence is derived their usual name
of Goatsuckers, an appellation conferred upon them from the most remote
antiquity.