The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-05-27
THE wHIP-POOR-WILL..

How enchanting soever may be the gor-
geous plumage of the inhabitants of the
forests of the Orient, however varied and
beautiful their forms, we have such an
affection-prejudice, it may be-for the
little warblcrs of tour own native land"
that we would not part with them for all
the Birds of Paradise in the world. 1t is
true our birds can boast of little to attract
in their outward embellishments, but they
are, generally, such sweet songsters that it
is impossible to tire of them, and indeed
their sober appearance enhances the pleas
ure of their song. There is charm in
simplicity the most refined tastes will
acknowledge, and it has this advantage
over more elaborate pcrformances-that it
never ceases to please. Even our musical
fashionables, who seem as if they could sit
out the repetition of the same opera for
ever, yawn, at the close of the season, over
its prolonged beauties. Not so with the
simplicities of nature; never shall we tire
of the half-dozen notes of the dark night
ingale; forever would we imbibe its deli
cious melody, as it falls like clear gush-
ing stream on our senses. That simple
song, cold when Homer sung" yet retains
all its pristine freshness and in the whole
catalogue of aerial songsters, it would be
impossible to find one which, once admired.
even satiated the ear. The school boy
stops on his way to school to listen to the
lark, and speculates as to its whereabouts :;
the old m an who has heard the same notes
swelling in the air thousands of times,
watches them with the same pleasure, as
they go merrily from place to place, war
bling their songs, as he did in his boyhood,
when he learned to distinguish their notes.
There is certain air of cheerfuness in
the low, plaintive monotone of the whip
poor-will that has shortened, seemingly,
the journey of many benighted traveller,
therefore It's of them we will endeavor to
write-should l say speak,?
The different species of this genius
(Caprimulgina) are divided into three sub
families: steatormine, or oil birds, found
in the West and East Indies and Africa,
and SO called on account of their feeding
on the palm fruit of Guadeloupe and Trim
idad Podagerina, found in South America
and Africa and the Carpimulgina, found
in the United States. only. 1t is of this
latter class we intend to speak-of their
habits, appearance, &c.
The name Whip-poor-will " is applied
to the branch of this family, called by the
naturalist, autr0stOmus oocifer0us, on ac-
count of the fancied resemblance of it's
notes to the sylables above mentioned. 1t
is about nine inches long by about nineteen
in alar extent; the plumage would be diff
cult to describe separately, so we will say
that it somewhat resembles it's European
coz, the goatsucker, and in describing one
describe both; it has the top of the head
striped longitudinally with black, and gray
ish brown back ground, and has, like most
fashionables nowadays, white choaker
| encircling its, otherwise sombre, neck the
| abdomen is white Cor rather gray,) and,
| also, the terminal half of the tail the
former having varied noting of brown
spots and transverse bands the wings are
dark brown, each quill having round rufous
spots on both webs it's bill has collection
of bristles at the base nearly an inch long,
and quite stiff, but entirely destitute of
lateral tilliaments on the second toe of
each foot is n species of brush to clean
these bristles from the remains of insects
and other food. The wings are rather long
the second quilts the shortest-and formed
by the softest downy plumage, to enable
them to fly noselessly from place to place,
using the short rounded tail as rudder
The female is much smaller than the male
and lacks the white spots on its tail.
They do not make a nest, but lay theil
two little eggs in some cavity of tho
ground, about the middle of May; they
are of greenish white, notified will
blotches of a blueish gray or brown, ant
arc nearly round in shape the male incu
bates, as well as the female, and assists il
feeding the young, which, unlike mos