Texan Night-Hawk 247 



sunny days, though it is more commonly noticed 

 at dusk. They are birds of graceful and swift flight, 

 delighting in swift turns and zigzags when in pursuit 

 of insects, of which they must destroy enormous 

 numbers. 



They are to be found chiefly in prairie country, and 

 in the open bare parts of the mountains. They are 

 social in their habits, and are often seen together in 

 considerable numbers. They alight on horizontal 

 branches of trees or fence-rails, and sit lengthways ; but 

 except when nesting, do not often squat on bare ground, 

 according to Bendire. 



The eggs, laid on the bare ground, are two in number, 

 and laid on alternate days. In shape slightly ovate 

 or oval, and in colour creamy-white or grey profusely 

 blotched with slaty or smoky-drab or lavender, they 

 vary very considerably. They average 1*18 x '85. 

 Gale found fresh eggs from June 20th to July 10th in 

 Boulder co., and Dille gives June 19th as an average 

 date. Warren secured eggs near Crested Butte on July 

 9th. Henderson states they sometimes lay their eggs 

 on the flat roofs of business houses in Denver. 



Texan Night-Hawk. Chordeiles acutipennis texensis. 



A.O.U. CheckUst no 421. 



Description. — Rather snaaller than C. v. henryi and less tawny, more 

 greyish in tone ; at once distinguished by the white patches on the 

 primaries, which are confined to the outer four, and are jjlaced distinctly 

 nearer the tip than the base of the wing ; below with a white throat- 

 patch and abdomen barred buffy and dusky, but with no black on the 

 chest ; primaries slightly spotted with tawny below the white patches. 

 Length 8-0 ; wing 6.6 ; tail 3-5 ; culmen '2 ; tarsus -45. 



The female has the wing-patches pale tawny, and the white tail band 

 restricted or wanting. 



Distribution. — South-west United States from western Texas to 

 southern CaUfomia, Nevada and Utah ; in winter, south so far as 

 Veragua in Columbia. 



