THE GENUS CHOKDEILES SWAINSON — OBERHOLSER. 3 



Genus CHORDEILES Swainson. 



Chordeiles Swainson, Fauna Bor.-Amer., vol. 2, 1831 (1832), p. 496 (type, 

 by original designation and mouotypy, " Chordeiles virginianus iCa- 

 primulgus amcricanus, Wils.]" qui Caprimulgus virginianus, Gmelin). 



Chordeilus "Swains." Gray, List Genera Birds, 1840, p. 7 (type, by orig- 

 inal designation and monotypy, Caprimulgus virginianus, Gmelin). 



Microrhynchus Lesson, L'Ecbo du monde Savant, July IG, 1843, col. 109 

 (type, by monotypy, Caprimulgus exilis Lesson) (nee Microrhynchus 

 Dejean [Megerle MS.], 1821, Coleoptera ; Bell, 1835, Crustacea). 



Chordiles " Swains. 1S31 " Tschudi, Untersucli. Fauna Peruana, Ornith., 

 1846, p. 21 (type, by monotypy, " Ch. semitorquatus Cab. MSS. [ = ] 

 Cap. pruinosus Licht. Mus. Berol. vid. Tsch. Consp. av. Nro. 37," qui 

 Caprimulgus exilis Lesson). 



Chordediles Cabanis [Wiegmann's] Arcliv fiir Naturg., XIII, vol. 1, Novem- 

 ber, 1847, p. 346 (nom. emend, pro Chordeiles Swainson). 



Bam,phaoratus Bonaparte, Rivista Contemporanea, vol. 9, February, 1857, 

 p. 215 (p. 9 of reprint), (type, by virtual monotypy, Caprimulgus exilis 

 Lesson). 



" Chordcdilus 1861 Cab." Gray, Hand-list Gen. Spec. Birds, vol. 1, 1869, 

 p. 61 (in synonymy). 



Diagnosis. — Similar to Nyctiprogne Bonaparte, but bill stronger 

 and broader basally; nostrils more rounded, more exposed, more 

 tubular, and opening more obliquely, less laterally; tertials longer. 

 Similar to NannochordeUes Hartert,^ but wing more pointed (less 

 rounded), the third primary (counting from the outermost) much 

 shorter than the first and second, instead of about the same length ; 

 tail more deeply emarginate. 



Chars, gen. — Medium-sized, long- winged Chordeilidae ; bill rather 

 small and weak, decidedly hooked; nostrils rather large, strongly 

 tubular, and oj^ening obliquely; no long or conspicuous rictal bris- 

 tles; no occipital, frontal, or nuchal crest; tail rather long, more 

 than half (about 55-60 per cent) of wing, emarginate, the outer 

 rectrices longest, all of moderate width, rounded or squarish at tips; 

 wing long and pointed, the first or second primary (counting from 

 the outermost) longest, the third shorter than either ; tertials reaching 

 nearly to the tip of sixth primary, or beyond ; secondaries short, the 

 shortest one not reaching the tips of primary coverts or not extend- 

 ing far beyond ; feet rather weak ; tarsus feathered in front for about 

 the proximal third; tarsus usually shorter than middle toe without 

 claw ; outer toe slightly shorter than inner toe ; exposed culmen about 

 half the length of tarsus.- 



Type. — C apriviyulgus virginianus Gmelin (by original designation 

 and monotypy). 



^NannochordeUes Hartert, Ibis, July, 1896, p. 374 (type, Chordeiles pusillus Gould). 



2 No osteological characters appear in this diagnosis, because proper comparative ma- 

 terial of the most closely related genera is not available. Consult, however, pp. 6-9 of 

 the present bulletin. 



