634; Habits of a'^ Caprmidgus 



and if she observes you touch or examine the egg, becomes 

 restless, keeping her wings in motion, and uttering a low 

 twitter of uneasiness. The male sits upon the ground during 

 the day, beneath the branches of the vines, and usually com- 

 mences his evening flight about five or six o'clock. Whilst 

 the bird has been on the wing, I have frequently observed a 

 sudden twist or bend of the head ; but, from the quickness of 

 its flight, and from its usually flying high, I cannot confirm 

 or contradict what is advanced in III. 32, 33. [By Mr. 

 Dillon, on the use of the pectinated claw of the nightjar. 

 See also III. 188. 296. 449; IV. 275. 425.] That the 

 South American species have the serrated claw may be seen 

 by the specimen I send. In its stomach I found, on dis- 

 section, a quantity of mosquitoes and some coleopterous 

 insects [this is the instance referred to in p. 560.], which were 

 taken, probabl}^, while it was on the wing. I do not think 

 the bill suited to taking beetles upon the ground. These 

 birds leave the neighbourhood of Lima in April or May. 

 The specimen I send was shot at Lurin, about twenty miles 

 from Lima, in the end of July : the species is called " dur- 

 midero" by the natives. As I am not well supplied with 

 ornithological books, I shall feel obliged for information 

 whether it be a described species, and, if it be, what it is 

 called. I wish the specimen to be presented to the Linnaean 

 Society for their collection. 

 Lima, August 22. 1832. 



We are sorry that we have so long withheld Mr. Mathews's 

 communication, and present to him our apology for doing 

 so. Our motive for the delay has been the wish to get the 

 species identified with some one already described, or get it 

 clearly distinguished as an undescribed one. We have not, 

 even now, succeeded in attaining either object. One orni- 

 thologist, to whom we had submitted the specimen and account 

 of it, has replied, — "I have searched the different ornitho- 

 logical works to which I have access, but without finding Mr. 

 Mathews's goatsucker. It is probably undescribed." An- 

 other naturalist, versed in ornithology, to whom we had sent 

 the specimen and account, has remarked in reply : — "I 

 have here no means of ascertaining its systematic name ; but 

 can nevertheless assure you that it is a species very well 

 known, so that a technical description of it would be unneces- 

 sary. It is one of those curious vSpecies with pectinated claws, 

 but without any vibrissas on the rictus, the absence of which 

 has occasioned many naturalists to doubt that the former 



