THE NACUNDA.
The NACUNDA (Podager nacunda) has obtained its name from the unusual size of its mouth, and may be regarded as the type of a South American group, distinguished by their powerful body, very broad head, strong beak, and thick plumage; their beak curves slightly downwards at its tip, and the mouth is surrounded by a growth of very stiff, short bristles; the nostrils are situated immediately above the upper mandibles. The wings, in which the second and third quills exceed the rest in length, are long and pointed; the short tail is composed of broad feathers and slightly rounded at its tip. The legs are powerful, the tarsi long and bare, the toes fleshy, and the nail of the middle toe serrated. The plumage of the Nacunda on the upper part of the body is blackish brown, marked with fine reddish yellow lines; the head is darker than the middle of the back, and the region of the shoulder indicated by large blackish brown spots. The tail-feathers exhibit six or eight dark lines, those of the male being edged with white. The throat, cheek-stripes, and region of the ear are reddish yellow, and slightly spotted; the belly, legs, lower tail-covers, and a line which passes from ear to ear around the throat are of a pure white; the breast is marked with undulating lines. The very large eyes are light brown; the beak greyish brown, tipped with black; the feet flesh-red, shaded with brownish grey. According to the Prince von Wied, this species is about ten inches long and twenty-seven broad; the wing measures eight inches and a quarter, and the tail two inches and two-thirds. These birds are principally found upon the vast savannahs of South America, where they usually frequent such parts as are covered with brushwood; they are also constantly seen around the Indian villages, and are called Chiangos by the natives. Unlike most of their congeners, they are very social and active, carrying on the pursuit of the insects upon which they subsist in broad daylight. The Prince von Wied assures us that he only once saw any great number of them together, and that was upon a large tract of land in the province of Bahia; they were flying fearlessly around the horses and cattle, apparently enjoying the intense heat of the sun, to which they were exposed. Schomburghk describes their flight as equalling that of the Falcon in swiftness, and the movements of their wings as resembling those of the Swallow. If disturbed, they endeavour to conceal themselves from observation among the low grass, and exhibit so much dexterity in evading pursuit, as to have given rise, among the Indians, to the strange fancy that the Nacundas possess two pairs of eyes. As night approaches, their melancholy cry is constantly to be heard, as they sweep in large parties around the trees, or over the fields, during their noisy and incessant pursuit of food. Burmeister found a Nacunda's egg in some long grass under a bush; it was almost cylindrical in form, the shell yellowish white, thickly marked with three shades of brown. Azara states that this species lays two eggs.
The TWILIGHT NIGHT JARS (Chordeiles) are recognisable by their slender body, short neck, and large head. Their wings, in which the second quill exceeds the rest in length, are long and pointed. The tail is short, formed of broad, powerful feathers, and more or less forked at its extremity; the legs are smooth, and the toes short; the centre toe being armed with a very decidedly hooked and serrated claw. Their plumage is thick, composed of small feathers, and is brighter in hue and more distinctly marked than that of most of their congeners.
THE NIGHT FALCON.
The NIGHT FALCON (Chordeiles Virginianus), a well-known member of this group, is an inhabitant of North and South America. Its length is about eight and a half, and its breadth from twenty to twenty-one inches; the wing measures seven inches and two-thirds. The upper part of the plumage is brownish black, spotted with white and pale brownish red. The secondary quills are dotted with brownish white, and the first five primaries have a broad stripe of white across their centre. The tail is striped with brown and grey, its four exterior feathers being tipped with white; the under side of the body is greyish white, marked with undulating brown lines; the throat is surrounded by a broad white line. The female resembles her mate, but the brown parts are darker, and the whitish spots redder, than in the plumage of the male. Her tail has no white spots at its extremity.
"The Night Falcons," says Audubon, "make their appearance in Louisiana about the first of April, during their migrations eastward, but never breed either in that State or in Mississippi. So rapid is their transit through these parts of the country, that the flocks have entirely disappeared within a few days of their arrival, whilst in the Southern States, on the contrary, they are often to be met with from the fifteenth of August till October. These wandering parties generally fly over the towns and villages, and settle from time to time upon the trees or houses, meanwhile uttering a harsh, shrill note, that cannot fail to attract the attention of all who hear it. We have seen them in Maine about June, and in the Central States somewhat earlier. These birds penetrate northwards as far as New Brunswick, but are rarely or never met with in Labrador or Newfoundland." The flight of the Night Falcons is light, animated, and capable of being long sustained, it is accompanied by loud, shrill cries, as the birds alternately soar above the summits of lofty mountains, or, rapidly sinking, continue their course close to the surface of the water. During such times as they are trying to attract the attention of the female part of the community, their evolutions become almost inconceivably fleet and agile; it is not uncommon to see one of them, after describing a series of the most elegant gyrations, come rushing down with such headlong velocity towards its intended partner, that it seems to render its death inevitable; but when within a few yards of the earth the bird dexterously spreads out its wings and tail, and again rises into the air, in order to recommence its sportive manœuvres. Audubon describes the spectacle of several males thus offering and exhibiting their admiration as being most amusing, and tells us that no sooner has the female made her choice, than the happy mate elect at once begins to harry and drive his rivals from the field.
The food of the Night Falcons consists principally of various kinds of small insects; they consume flies in enormous quantities, seeking their prey during the day, and sleeping at night upon trees or houses, from the tops of which their loud cries may be heard from time to time during the night. The breeding season commences at the end of May; the two eggs that form their brood have a grey shell, spotted with greenish brown or violet-grey (see Fig. 2, Coloured Plate IV.), and are deposited without any previous preparation upon the ground. The nestlings are at first covered with dark brown down, and are tended with great affection by their parents; the female especially exhibits unusual boldness and cunning in protecting or concealing her family from danger. When the young are strong enough to perch it is not uncommon for them to sit motionless beside the father and mother for hours, remaining so perfectly quiet and silent as to render it very difficult to discover their place of concealment. Large numbers of these useful birds are shot out of mere mischief. According to Audubon their flesh is excellent during the autumn, at which season they become well-flavoured and fat.
THE COMMON GOATSUCKER.
The EUROPEAN NIGHT JAR or COMMON GOATSUCKER (Caprimulgus Europæus) represents a group of birds whose pursuit of food is carried on exclusively by night. All the various species of nocturnal Goatsuckers have slender bodies, short necks, and broad wings, not very sharply pointed at the extremity, as the second quill is slightly longer than the first. The tail is almost straight at its tip; the beak is short and broad, narrow at its base, and curves downwards from beneath the nostrils. The centre toe of the small delicate foot is considerably longer than the rest, and is connected with that on each side by a fold of skin extending as far as the first joint; the small inner toe is entirely detached from the rest; the tarsus is partially covered with small feathers, and upon its lower portion is defended by horny plates; the claw upon the middle toe is serrated. The plumage, which is composed of large feathers, is fleecy; the upper parts of the body are dark grey, variously marked with brownish black and reddish yellow; the under side is light grey, streaked and spotted with black and dark brown; the brow and edges of the jaws are indicated by whitish lines; the three first quills in the wing of the male are decorated with a white, in the female with a yellow spot. The centre tail-feathers are grey, striped with black; the rest are paler, and rather spotted than streaked with black: they terminate in a pointed white patch. The markings in the plumage of the female are less distinct than in that of her mate, and the exterior tail-feathers are spotted and tipped with reddish yellow. The length of this species is about ten, and its breadth twenty-one inches; the wing measures seven and a quarter, and the tail between four and five inches. The European Night Jar inhabits some parts of Asia and the whole of our continent, if we except its extreme north and the southern provinces of Spain; in the latter country it is replaced by a very similar bird, the Red-breasted Goatsucker (Caprimulgus ruficollis). It is at present undecided whether the JOTAKA (Caprimulgus jotaca), met with in Japan, is identical with the European species. (The egg of the European Goatsucker is represented at Fig. 41, Coloured Plate [XVI.])