BIRDS CAPRIMULGIDAE — CHORDEILES TEXEN818. 



155 



above may be described as a mixed gray, yellowish rusty, black, and brown in varied mottlings. 

 The top of the head is rather uniformly brown, with a few mottlings of grayish rusty, although 

 the concealed portion of the feathers is much vari<'d. On the nape is a finely mottled collar of 

 grayish and black, not very conspicuously defined, and rather interrupted on the median line. 

 A similar collar is seen on the fore part of the breast. The midiUe of the back and the rump- 

 exhibit a coarser mottling of the same without any rul'ous. Tlie scapulars and wing coverts are 

 beautifully variegated, much as in some of the waders, the pattern very irregular and scarcely 

 capable of definition. There are, however, a good many large round spots of pale yellowish 

 rusty, very conspicuous among the other markings. There is quite a large blotch of white on 

 the wing, situated considerably nearer the tip than the carpal joint. It only involves four 

 primaries and extends across both outer and inner webs. The four first primaries anterior to 

 the white blotches, and the remaining ones, nearly from their tips, exhibit a series of large 

 round rufous spots not seen in the other Nortii American species. The other wing quills have 

 also similar markings. There is a large V-shaped white mark on the throat, as in C. virginianus, 

 though rather larger proportionally. Posterior to this there are some rather conspicuous 

 blotches of rufous, behind which is the obscure finely mottled collar of gray and brown already 

 referred to. The breast and remaining under parts are dull white transversely banded with 

 brown, with a strong tinge of yellowish rufous on the abdomen, about the vent, and on the 

 under tail coverts. The tail is dark brown with about eight transverse bars of lighter ; the 

 last are white and extending across both vanes ; the others less continuous, and yellowish rufous 

 beneath as well as above, especially on the inner vane. 



There is some variation in diflerent specimens, especially as to the intensity of the rufous 

 tints. The Santa Caterina specimen is larger than those from the lower Rio Grande; while 

 No. 6010, from El Paso, is considerably larger than either, the wing measuring 7^ inches. 

 There is, however, no other appreciable difference. 



The females differ, as far as indicated by the specimens before me, chiefly in lacking the white 

 spot on the tail. The throat spot is rather smaller, but is almost pure white. The rufous 

 markings are rather deeper. 



This species is readily distinguished from C virginianus by its much smaller size, four prima- 

 ries crossed with white, instead of five, the round rufous spots on the wing quills, the rufous 

 tinge on the abdomen, and other characters. It, however, seems to present parallel variations 

 of color and size with those described under C virginianus. 



I am unable to say whether the subject of the present article be really distinct or not from 0. 

 sapiti, of Bonaj>arte, and C. hrcmlianus , of Gmelin. As Mr. Lawrence has given it a new name, 

 1 have adopted it provisionally, leaving the final decision to be made by some one having the 

 proper materials before him. 



List of specimens. 



Caul. 



No. 



Locality. 



When col- 

 lected. 



Whence obuined. Orig'l 

 i No. 



39.il Santa Catahna, Mexico. .. Aug. —, 1853 Lieut. Couch, U. S. A..' 188 



6C09 Hin;c(old barrackc, Texas. July —, 1653 Major Buiory, U. S. A 



6910 Eagle PaM, Texas ^ do 1 



601-2 do I do ' 6 



6010 El Paso, Texas ... do 



4578? Colorado river, California do 



Collected by — | Length. Stretch 

 of wings. 



J. H. Clark . 

 A. ScliQtt... 



do. ... 



J. H. Clark . 

 A. Scbon... 



8.75 



19.00 



Wing. 



7.0C I Eyes blue black; bill 

 blark ; (eel purple. 



6.80 I 



6 70 i 



6.80 I 



7.70 I 



6.90 



