A blackish bird, with a white bar across the back, which flies with great velocity; the wings form the arc of a circle as it dashes through the air. It never perches. When it wishes to rest it repairs to its nest, which is a saucer-shaped structure made of mud, bits of straw, feathers, etc., usually fixed on to a wall under an eave, sometimes in a deserted temple or mosque. (Illus. B. B., p. 35.)
[125]. Tachornis batassiensis: The Palm-swift (F. 1075), (J. 102), (-I.)
A brownish-black bird. Its habits are like those of No. [124], except that its flight is less swift and it is rarely found away from palm trees. It attaches its nest to the under side of a palm leaf, or a betel-nut leaf.
The Nightjars, 126 and 127
These birds are very nocturnal in their habits, so, like the heroine of The Diary of a Bad Girl, they are heard and not seen.
They are characterised by the large mouth, which enables them to secure their insect quarry while they are on the wing. They usually lie up during the day on the ground in some secluded spot.
[126]. Caprimulgus asiaticus: The Common Indian Nightjar, or Goatsucker. (F. 1091), (J. 112), (+II.)
Upper parts greyish brown, lower parts reddish brown, every feather being marked by a number of narrow blackish cross bars.
The voice of this bird must be familiar to many residents in India, it sounds like a stone skimming over ice, and hence is known as the ice-bird.
[127]. Caprimulgus macrurus: Horsfield’s Nightjar. (F. 1093), (J. 110), (+III.)