1851.] 177 



Syn. ii., pt. 2, p. 601, (1783,) who copies from Briss. Orn. ii, p. 481, (1760,) 

 the latter giving the name of Caprimidgus Brasiliensis on the faith of, and 

 copying the description of the Guira querea Basiliensibus of Marcgrave and Piso 

 in Historia Naturalis Brasiliae, p. 202, (Amsterdam 1648.) 



2. Caprimidgus furcifer, Vieill. Nouv.Dict., x. p. 242, (1817,) a name given 

 by Vieiilot on the faith of "Del cola de tixera" of Azara, Apunt. Hist. Nat. 

 del Paraguay, ii. p. .536, (Madrid 1805.) 



3. In copying Azara's description of the tail of this bird, Vieiilot makes an 

 important mistake in substituting the French " plus " for the Spanish " menos." 



4. Caprimidgus psahtrus, Temm. PI. col. ii. p., pi. 157, 158, (27 liv.) 



5. The above names are probably synonymes. 



6. Caprimidgus matiurus, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. X. p. 239, (1817)? 



The name, Caprimidgus brasiliensis, was given by Brisson to the bird de- 

 scribed by Marcgrave and Piso, as above, and he copies their description with 

 some alteration. He says of the tail " Rectrices autem binae intermediae laterali- 

 bus multo sunt longioribus." 



The expression used by Marcgi^ve and Piso is, " Cauda octo digitos longa, 

 constans in extremitate duabus pennis longioribus reliquis." 



In the tail of the common species known as Caprimidgus psalurus, Temm., the 

 two outer feathers are much the longest of all, and the two middle feathers are 

 next in length, presenting a very unusual form. 



Gmelin in his description (or rather definition) of C. torguatus, cites G. bra- 

 siliensis Briss. as a synonyme, also " Guira querea, Ray and Willoughby " and 

 *' Gold-collnred Goatsucker, Lath." and copies Brisson's description of the tail of 

 this bird, which Latham had also done, but having seen the original description 

 the latter adds, " The two middle tail feathers are eight inches in length." 



The entire description by Marcgrave and Piso is copied almost verbatim by 

 Willoughby, Ornithologia p. 71, (Folio, 1676). That of the tail is exactly the same 

 word for word, " Cauda octo digitos longa constans in extremitate duabus pennis 

 longioribus reliquis." 



In Ray's edition, in English, of " the Ornithology of Francis Willoughby," p. 

 108, (Folio, 1678,) he translates the Latin of Marcgrave and Willoughby thus : 

 'Tail eight inches long, having in the outsides two feathers longer than the 

 rest." 



The term used by Marcgrave " in extremitate" is so equivocal, it is not 

 surprising that Brisson was perplexed, and to have fully justified Ray's 

 English, it would have looked better in the plural. Ray's translation is, however, 

 quite as warrantable as any other, and with the description otherwise answers 

 sufficiently well for the Caprimulgus psalurus, Temm. PI. col. 157. I am ac- 

 quainted with no other American species to which can.be applied the following 

 from Marcgrave : " circum totum collum autem pone caput annulum habet, ob- 

 scure aureum." The size given by Marcgrave is not very definite : " Alaudae 

 ma^nitudine est, sed quia longas alas et caudam habet multo longiorem, videtur 

 major." This phrase is copied by the subsequent writers above mentioned, in 

 the course of the observations of whom nothing occurs from which lean infer 

 that either of them had seen the species. 



Upon comparing a specimen of C. psalurus with either Alauda arvensis or 

 cristata it will be found that the comparison made use of by Marcgrave may be 



24 



