The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1883-06-13
THE WHIPPOORWlLL AND The
NIGUT-HAWK.

once almost universal, that the whip
poorwin is the prophet of evil, and that
is APPEARANCE on n well-sweep or on
the roof of a shed is an omen of death to
one of the inmates of the house. ms
notion is nearly eradicated from the
minds of our people, who now listen
with delight 10 the whippOOrwill, as the
Philomel of our wilderness.
The whippoorwill confines itself TO
the woods and solitary fells exclusively .
in the daytime, but in the night is more
exclusive, and often pays a visit TO the
enclosures of our dwellings, attracted
by the multitudes of moths and beetles O
that gather around the lighted windows
of the house. At such times it seldom
leaves until it has poured forth It's oml-
nous ditty into the ears OF waketul sleep
ers. This is very truly song; and 1t Is
one of the few bird songs that may De
accurately represented on the musical
ganut. Ii consists OF the repetition OF
single triplet:
Whippoorwi1, whppOOrwiu, etc
The bird delivers its notes in quick
waltz-time; and when il Is not too near
| they are extremely musical and rather
Dlaintiye. though the plaintiveness Is
owing less TO their expression than TO
the solemnity of the twilight and soil
tude. The whippoOrwil sings in the
/ dusk of evening soon after the veery has
/ become silent and the last glow of sunset
/ has faded. The song Is renewed ut early
/ dawn. though the bird is less musical at
this hour than in the evening twilight,
which is morning, as it were, TO this
nocturnal bird. IL does not often sing
at midnight, except on the rising OF the
moon.
I When in pursuit of its prey the whip
poorwiH flies low, sailing noiselessly just
above the tree tops and taking the larger
nocturnal insects in its flight. In the
DAYTIME il conceals itself in the deep
woods, resting on the ground In some
high and dry situation, or IN the oranch
of a tree, placing itself iengthwIse upon
il. not crosswise and clasping II Ike 9TH
er birds. But though the day Is the
time of sleep and rest for the whippoor-
will, II is ''never caught mapping" The
bird is so wary and so keenly sensitive
10 the least motion and sound, that, ac-
cordiny 10 Mr.. Gentry, it is difficult TO
/ approach near enough to observe 1t
while AZ rest. When we are within q
few wards Of Il, the bird takes sudden
FLIGHT to another spot. In this respect
IL differs from the common owl, which
Is dull and stupid by day and not easily
aroused hence Il Is often annoyed by
other birds.
DIR. Elliott Coues, who is always elo-
ouent when he aims to be so, writes OF
an allied species in the West called the
GsPoor VIII, - because the bird omits the
first SYLLABLE of our birds name. lie
saws. ssThis cry is very luguhrious; and
in places where the birds are numerous,
the wailing chorus is enough to excite
yaOue apprehensions on the part Of the
lonely traveller. as ne hes down to rest
nv his camp FIRE, OF to break his sleep
with fitful dreams, in which lost spirits
appear to bernoan their fate and to i'm
More his intercession. 1t is not strange
, that heated fancy should riot IN the
circumstances of desolatiOn and imml-
nent peril, under which the emigrant OF
! the explorer must often be placed IN the
J Western wilderness. Experience comes
vividly to mind, at the present moment
of night after night, when have grad
| I ,lallT lost consciousness, with mind
6 peopled with all manner OF weird I'M
noes. Closing my eyes to the stars II
D | the broad expanse above-my only GOV
! erlet-and 10 the ruddy CLEAN from tn
embers of the camp fire, with though
: of home, and perhaps a silent aspIra
ton, il might be long before the sens
of hearing would desert its post. In
monotonous tread of the sentinel woul'
L fall heavily on the ear; the horses woul
{ seem TO champ as never betOrei Tn
bands of vagrant coyotes would hun
with redoubled energy, and all tn
n while the Poor Wills shouted the
c alarm"
Like the whippoorwill, there is ais
: some mystery associated with the nigh
o hawk, an allied species which is sti
identified with it by many OF our couT
try people. I am not disposed, how
a ever, to argue with the ornithologis
- who have separated them into two di
ferent genera. The two birds have
: great superficial resemblance; but the
"a differ in their flight and in some of the
habits. That of the night-hawk is mo-
= varied, he flies higher and with the ca
% of a swallow. This bird has a sharp ar
n peculiar cry, which is heard when 1t q
pears st early twilight, and Is readl
IN known and recognized by all who ha'
le once heard it; it is hkened by Samue
to the squeak of the common snipe. i
motions in the air have been compare
10 those of the falcon, and its name
probably derived from this resemblance
nj for the bird is not hawk in any sens
a IL seldom appears in broad dayligh
unless IL has been disturbed. We mi
&c then observe a bright spot under ea'
W of its wings.
The night-hawk is notable on accCu
" of its mysterious blooming" which
/ heard chiefly in the early morning, u
"A before dawn. No writer or observ
~ has vet explained the origin of this ?
u, culiar sound. In the early part of Z
III season. while numbers of the birds q
, sailing about i'm the air, we hear {
1 boom as often as once in two or thr
! minutes. The bird makes a rapid, pC
- oendicular descent through a consider
bic space, then suddenly turns upwar
~ making a sort of scoop, at the same
c slant producing a sound like the twal
a ~ a VOL string. Some think IL 10 cans
- NV the forcible pressure OF the I
- through the open mouth Of the OFT
~ making a sort of vibrating whist
- Audubon attributed the sound 20 (
- whizzing of the birds wings An All
y species in Europe is said to make 4 81
ne liar noise while sitting on its perch a
a from this fact it would seem 10 be
b. cal sound.
CO Early in life made journey on 10
IA with several of my comrades over 50
- tary road in o half-wooded and pl
uresoue region. Westarted on our wa
at midnight in the last week of May
is a common observation that durl
: the stiffness of the night we are kear
"a, sensitive 10 all unusual sights q
ag sounds About three O'clock IN I
- morning we were startled by sour
re often repeated, like the sudden sweep
bis a bow aeross the strings of VOL
as Such a sound high up In the air a
~ over our heads seemed to US like witt
~ cry, and awakened in us sensation
gu awe nearly allied 10 sublimity.
~ continued to marvel about the cause
L. il until, while watching the birds as u