Whippoorwill

A country victim of insomnia need not bother tabbing sheep — try counting how many times the WHIPPOORWILL calls. After several hundred he probably will be asleep; if not, keep on — the bird never tires (that is, if it happens to annoy the listener!).

The notes are resonant, and can be heard half a mile and more. They are probably the most widely known of nocturnal cries. A low cluck precedes and a jews-harp finale follows the main theme but can be heard only when the audience is close by.

I like to hear the calls coming down our valley in the Spring and my rest is not disturbed by them, but then I have been known to go to sleep when Neptune was using a sledge on the schooner's bows, so perhaps I am not an unbiased judge. Moreover, the rest of the crew hates them so I had better end this biography here.