AN AUSTRALIAN BIRD BOOK. 10? 



1 224* Australian Bee-eater, Rainbow Bird, Sandpiper (e), 

 21 Kingfisher (e), Spinetail, Pintail, Merops ornatus, 



Cel., Lesser Sunda Is., Mol., A. Mig. c. open forests 10 

 Crown, back, inner-wing brownish-green; wing-quills 

 orange-brown, tipped black; band on throat blackish; 

 line below eye, lower-back blue; throat orange; tail 

 black; two tail feathers longer; curved bill black; f.. 

 sim. Insects, very rarely bees. 

 F. 87. Momotidae, Motmots, 24 sp. Nl. 

 F. 88. Todidae, Todies, 7 sp. Nl. (West Indies). 

 F. 89. CAPRIMULGIDAB (3), NIGHTJARS, GOAT- 



SUCKERS, 124 sp.— 11(8)A., 22(17)0., 10(4)P., 

 30(26)E., ll(5)Nc, 57(51)N1. 



2 225 White-throated Nightjar, Night Hawk (e), Moth 



3 (Fern) Owl, Eurostopus albigularis, N.G., E.A., 

 S.A. Stat. r. open forest 13 



Upper mottled, striped gray, brown; head darker; wings 

 dark-brown marked gray, spotted buff, with white patch 

 (see figure) ; white patch side of throat; under buff 

 marked dark-brown; f., sim. Insects. Valuable noc- 

 turnal birds. 

 226 Spotted Nightjar, E. argus. Aru Is., New Ireland, A. 



Stat. r. open forest 12 

 Like 225, but uniform rusty-brown abdomen and under 

 base tail; f., sim. Insects. Valuable, nocturnal. 

 F. 90. Macropterygidae, Tree-Swifts, 7 sp. — 3 (3) A., 4(4)0. 

 F. 91. CYPSELIDAE (4), SWIFTS, 103 sp.— 11 (7) A., 

 33(24)0., 9(1)P., 28(22)E., 4(0)Nc, 30(26)N1. 

 1 22 7* Spine-tailed Swift, Ghaetura caudacuta, Sib., Jap., 

 34 China, to A., T., N.Z. Mig. c. tipper air 7.5 



Throat, forehead, back edge wing, flanks, under base tail 

 white; wings, tail deep shining-green; under, back gray- 

 ish-brown; short tail ends in spines; f. smaller. Flying 

 insects. 

 1 228 White-rumped Swift (Australian), Gypselus pacifl- 

 25 cus, E. Sib., Jap., Indo-China to A., T., N.Z. 



Mig. r. upper air 7 

 Upper brownish-black; rump, throat white; under brown; 

 long forked tail; indistinct collar; f., sim. Flying 

 insects. 



A writer has well said that there are "few so beautiful, and none 

 so graceful." Its scientific name, ornatus, shows that our bird 

 stands well amongst its fellows. One kind occasionally visits 

 England (about thirty records in the last hundred years). 



In the same order come the Goatsuckers, or Nightjars, wide- 

 mouthed, swift-flying, insectivorous birds, which have an almost 

 cosmopolitan rango, being absent only from New Zealand and 

 the Polynesian Islands. These Owl-like birds have very long 

 wings, thus indicating their rapid flight. They are very valu- 

 able insect destroyers, though they are sometimes called "Night 



