The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-12-17
Night-Hawks.

"How's that for mouth?n asked a
naturalist and sportsman of an Enquirer
reporter, pointing to a mounted bird on
the table. The bird was mottled-brown
specimen, about as long as a pigeon.
with a mouth that stretched literally
from ear TO ear.
''How about the eggP" asked the re-
porter, noticing that it was in the birds
mouth.
That's Just the point replied the
bird man. Its a night-hawk. No, they
don't eat eggs; but that shows that bird
exactly as | shot it, and thereby hangs
tale. Last summer had an old darkey
that took out coon hunting with me to
carry the truck, and one night as we
We're blowing through a hard lot of bush
l told him to go ahead and hold the Ian
tern. So he did, holding one of these
bull s-eye lanterns just over his head.
lie was about three feet ahead of me.
when all at once heard a kind of a
smash, and down went the old fellow.
lantern, basket and all. For few min
utes he made it blue there, | can tell
you, but finally he got up, swearing
something had struck him with an egg;
sure enough, his face was dripping with
broken egg, and on the ground we found
a night-hawk. She had flown at the
light and struck the old man fairly in
the face, knocking him out. The erg
business puzzled me, however, But the
next day when | was out came sudden
ly on to a smooth spot, and saw a night
hawk throw herself on her side and be-
gin to go lame. knew there was some
thing up, and the next minute | made
out the nest and egg; but at the first
move | made she darted at it, picked up
the egg-in her mouth, and flew away.
| was determined to see how it was
done, so | brought down my gun and
shot her on the wing, and l found her
dead with the egg in her mouth.
Wonderful" | should say so,
You see the night-hawks are supposed
to have little or no intelligence, but this
fact shows them to have more
than the average maternal affec-
ton But this isn't all About two
weeks later | was out again in about
the same spot, and saw my dog pointing
Wishing to make sketch, if possible,
of various birds under point, | stole up
on the dog, and for q moment was dis
posed to give her u clubbing, as there
wasn't thing in sight, only a bed of
brown leaves and moss. But as the
dog kept pointing looked closely, and
soon made out another night-hawk, and
while | was looking the bird picked up
what looked like q mole, and flew heav-
lily away. | brought it down, and in its
mouth was a young one about as large
as amouse. So, you see. they carry off
both eggs and young
us this the use of the large mouth? n
asked the reporter.
Partly, ! think was the reply.
But it is adapted to their method of
obtaining food which is on the wing.
You notice about dusk, and in the even
ing, the gnats, mosquitoes and various
insects swarm in fiocks as big as your
head; the night-hawk feeds on them, and
dashes into swarm, taking in
hundreds at a time; hence they are OF
the greatest value in reducing our
mosquito crop, and should never be in
jured But this using their mouths to
carry off their eggs and young probably
surprises you, and to tell the truth, two
thirds of the people l have shown it to
thought l was playing on their suscep-
tibilities, so to speak; but fortunately
for me, the curious performance has
been observed by other sportsmen and
naturalists. This same thing. was
witnessed by Audubon in the night
hawk known as the Chuck Wills Widow.
He approached the nest, and the male
and female threw themselves at his feet,
ruffling their feathers and showing every
evidence of distress, and when he con
tinued to approach each bird seized az
egg in its mouth and flew away.-Ci1s
cin12ati Enquirer. E