452 



SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. —PICARIM — CYPSELIFORMES 



rather smaller. South Atlantic and Gulf States, Carolina to Indian Territory, Texas and N- 

 Mexico, S. to Central America ; resident on our southern border. Twice as bulky as a wbip- 

 pporwill, the general tone rufous. Eggs 2, l.d5 X 1.05, heavily marked in intricate pattern 

 with browns and neutral tints. 

 991. A. voci'ferus. (Lat. vociferus, voice- bearing. Figs. 289, 292, 29;i.) Whippoorwill 

 NiGHT-jAK. The rictalbristles simple. Upper parts variegated with gray, black, whitish, and 

 tawny ; prevailing tone gray ; black streaks sharp on the head and back, the colors elsewhere 

 delicately marbled, including the four median tail-feathers ; wings and their coverts with bars of 

 rufous spots; lateral tail-feathers black, with large white {$) ox small tawny (9) terminal 

 spaces; a white ((J) or tawny (9) throat-bar. Adult $ : Assuming stone-gray as the 

 ground-cohjr of the upper parts : Crown with a purplish cast, heavily dashed lengthwise with 

 black ; back darker, with smaller streaks ; tail beautifully marbled with slate-gray and black 

 tending crosswise on the 4 middle feathers ; scapulars with bold black centre-fields set in frosty 

 marbling ; hind neck with white specks, as if continued around from the white throat-bar. 

 Primaries black, with a little marbling at their ends, fully broken-ban-ed with tawny -reddish ; 

 no white spaces. Three lateral tail-feathers mostly black, with pure white terminal spaces 

 1-2 inches long. Under parts quite blackish, on the breast powdered over with hoary-gray, 

 more posteriorly marbled with gray and tawny, tending crosswise. Lores and ear-coverts dark 

 brown. It is only in perfect plumage that the colors are as slaty and frosty as described ; 

 ordinarily more brown and ochrey. Length 9.00-10.00; extent 16.00-18.00; wing 6.00 or 

 more ; tail 5.00 or less ; whole foot 1.40 ; the distance across from one comer of the mouth to 

 the other about as much as length of gape. 9 ,- adult : General tone more brownish and ochrey ; 

 tbroat-bar tawny-whitish ; tail-spaces very slight and ochraceous ; rather smaller. Eastern 

 U. S. and British Provinces to the central plains, abundant, migratory ; breeds throughout, but 

 chiefly northerly ; winters beyond. A shady character, oftener heard than seen, of recluse 

 nocturnal habits and perfectly noiseless flight, in the breeding season ceaseless in uttering 

 its strange uncouth cries with startling vehemence. The notes are likened to the phrase which 

 has given the name ; they are very rapidly reiterated, wdth strong accent on the last syllable ; 

 when very near, a clicking sound, and sometimes low murmuring tones, may also be heard. 

 No nest; 2 eggs on ground or log or stump, 1.25 X 0.90, creamy-white, heavily marked witli 

 browns and neutral tints. The young are helpless, shapeless, downy masses ; both eggs and 

 young are often removed in the parent's mouth if disturbed, as a cat canies off her kittens, — a 

 practice, however, habitual in this curious family of birds. Unlike the night-hawk, the whip- 

 poorwill rarely flies by day, unless flushed from its shady retreats. 

 881. (addenda) A. V. arizo'nae. Arizona Whippoorwill. Similar : larger : rictal bristles longer. 

 (J : Throat-bar and superciliary streak ochraceous ; lores and ear-coverts tawny ; white spaces 

 on tail short; under tail-coverts nearly unbarred. 

 Length 10.20; extent 19.40; wing 6.65; tail 4.45; 

 longest rictal bristle 1.80 ; longest tail-spot 1.55. 

 Arizona. Perhaps approaching A. macromystax. 

 129. PHAL.<ENO'PTIL,US. (Gr. ^dXatva, phalaina, a 

 moth; TTTtXoi/, ptilmi, feather: alluding to the pow- 

 dery plumage, like the furriness of a moth's wings. 

 Fig. 294.) PooR-Vi'iLLS. Nostrils "tubular, cylin- 

 dric, opening forward and outward. Rictal bristles 

 immense, but simple. Tarsus naked except just on 

 the joint above (as in Nyctidromus) , as long as mid- 

 dle toe without claw. Tail square, much shorter 

 than the rounded wings, which fold nearly to its 

 end. Plumage peculiarly soft and velvety, in boar- 



FlG. 294.- 

 will, nat. size. 



- Head and foot of Nuttall's Poor- 

 (Ad nat. del. K. Ridgway.) 



