PODARGL 



387 



sively insectivorous, an interesting analogy to the two groups of frugivorous and 

 insectivorous bats. 



The name ' oil-bird' is derived from the superabundance of fat in the young birds, 

 from which the natives prepare a colorless and inodorous oil, extensively used instead 

 of butter. 



The characters of the PODAKGID.E, so far as they relate to the palatal structure, 

 have already been pointed out. There remain to be briefly mentioned a few other 

 peculiarities. Dr. Ph. L. Sclater has published the result of the anatomical examina- 

 tion of &Podargus, the most important of which are the total absence of the oil gland, 

 and the presence of a pair of large powder-down patches. The latter he describes thus 

 (Fig. 188) : " Two large powder-down patches were discovered, placed on each side of 

 the rump. Each patch consists of about forty feathers, placed in a line extending 

 from above the outer end of 

 the root of the rectrices to- 

 wards the femur. Each feather 

 consists of a horny sheath, about 

 0.8 inch in length, of which 0.5 

 is external. At the termination 

 of the sheath the feather pre- 

 sents the usual decomposed ap- 

 pearance of powder-down patch- 

 es, being divided entirely into 

 numerous elongated minute fila- 

 ments of a dark gray color." 



The external aspect of the 

 members of this family is very 

 much like that of owls and goat- 

 suckers, but the bill is most 

 enormously widened, and the 

 size, especially that of the gi- 

 gantic podargi, is considerably 

 greater than that of the goat-suckers. Their habits, though quite nocturnal, differ 

 considerably from the latter, since their food seems to consist mostly of insects which 

 crawl along the bark of the trees. 



The geographical distribution of the Podargidre is limited to parts of the Oriental 

 and Australian regions, the podargi proper belonging to New Guinea and Australia, 

 while the frog-mouths (Batrachostomus) are confined to southern India, Burmah, 

 Malacca, and the Moluccan Islands. A species of the latter genus is figured in t he- 

 accompanying illustration, but their habits seem to be very little known. An inter- 

 esting feature is an apparent dichromatism analogous to that of many small owls, 

 some specimens presenting a gray, others a rufous, phase. 



The CAPRIMULGID.E, goat-suckers or night-jars proper, have a long second pectoral 

 muscle, a small oil gland, and after-shafts to the feathers. They are easily divided 

 into two sub-families : Nyctibiinre, which have the outer toe consisting of five pha- 

 langes, the normal number, a smooth middle claw, and four notches to the hind border 

 of the breastbone, while the Caprimulginas have only four phalanges in the outer 

 toe, the edge of the middle claw pectinated, and the sternum with two notches only. 

 Nyctibius agrees with the Podargidae in most of the features in which it differs from 



FIG. 188. Powder-down patches ot I'odargus. 



