260 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.93 



At nightfall these birds came out of the dense forest by dozens 

 into more open areas, many frequenting the savanna near camp. I 

 saw them often at dusk, Hying low along the ground, when the white 

 wing markings were little visible, and the birds appeared like any 

 other brownish goatsucker, being marked mainly by the long tail. 

 They remained out until dawn came to illuminate the trails and then 

 retreated again to cover. 



By night they were active and moved frequently, especially when 

 feeding, resting on the ground and seeming at times to walk about 

 where the earth was bare. More often I saw them fly up a few feet 

 to seize insects in the air. Occasionally I picked one up in the light 

 of my flashlight, when the eye glowed with a beautiful light orange- 

 red. They rested with the head drawn in, but in the light of the 

 flashlight often extended the neck and then retracted it, or sometimes 

 raised to the length of the long legs and then dropped back again. 

 By moving slowly while I held the circle of bright light steadily on 

 them sometimes I approached within 20 feet of them, but ordinarily 

 they were more alert and flew while I was at a distance. 



They called regularly in evening for an hour or more, and again 

 before dawn, while on moonlit nights they were so vociferous and 

 so many were about that sleep in camp sometimes was difficult. The 

 notes were so different from the ordinary description of them that I 

 can see no reason for the common name of pauraque if that is assumed 

 to be onomatopoeic in origin. Instead, they seem to say with much 

 emphasis who are you, occasionally varied to who are you. Another 

 call given in a steady monotone was tup oup hup, repeated steadily in 

 a low voice a number of times. Still another note at a short distance 

 sounded like the cutting swish of a heavy whip. After the first week 

 in April, the calling was reduced in amount. It was not unusual to 

 hear eight or ten at once near camp. 



In the series taken two are in rufescent and six in grayish phase. 



NYCTIDROMUS ALBICOLLIS MERRILLI Scnnett: Merrill's Pauraque 



Nyctidromus albicollis merrilli Sennett, Auk, 1888, p. 44 (Nueces River, Nueces 

 County, Tex.). 



Among the Nyctidromus that I collected near Tres Zapotes, there 

 is one male, shot on March 10, that belongs to this race, present as a 

 migrant from the north. It was found in a similar location as the 

 others obtained and, in fact, was not distinguished from them until 

 examined in the Museum. It is in the rufescent phase and is marked 

 by larger size and paler color when compared with yucatamnsis. 

 The wing measures 172.5 mm. and the tail 165 mm. 



CArRIMULGUS CAROLINENSIS Gmelin: Chuck-willVwidow 



Caprimulgus carolinensis Gmelin, Systerna naturae, vol. 1, pt. 2, 1789, p. 1028 

 (South Carolina). 



