236 Annals of the Carnegie Museum. 



confined to some brown shaft-spots, and fine mottling at the tips of 

 some of the feathers. 



Poey recorded this species many years ago from the Isle of Pines, 

 and Mr. Read also has occasionally observed it, a specimen collected 

 by him at McKinley being now in the collection of the Carnegie 

 Museum. The five fine specimens sent in by Mr. Link were secured 

 in every case during moonlight nights, in the vicinity of poultry- 

 houses, where these owls often come in search of their prey. On such 

 occasions they are readily attracted by making any kind of a squeaking 

 noise, when they come up and circle about overhead, presenting a fair 

 shot. They seem to be strictly nocturnal, and for this reason they 

 are seldom observed, and may be far more common than is apparent. 

 Mr. Read says that they are accustomed to spend the day in the thick 

 tops of the bottle-palms, and adds that they are often attracted in 

 the night-time by the brilliant headlights of an automobile, and fly 

 down in front of the machine. The stomachs of all the individuals 

 examined contained feathers, whence it is evident that small birds 

 constitute a larger proportion of the food of this species than in the 

 case of the Barn Owl of continental North America, which feeds so 

 largely on small mammals. The single example shot by Mr. Zappey 

 had been eating a Ruddy Quail Dove. Nothing appears to be on 

 record concerning its nesting habits, so far as the Isle of Pines is con- 

 cerned. 



83. Chordeiles virginianus virginianus (Gmelin). Nighthawk. 



Chordeiles virginianus virginianus Bangs & Zappey, Am. Nat., XXXIX, 1905, 203 

 (Santa Fe; meas.). — Oberholser, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 86, 1914, 517 

 (Santa Fe; crit.). — Ridgway, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 50, VI, 1914, 562 

 (Santa Fe, in geog. distr.). 



The only positive record for the typical form of the Nighthawk 

 from the Isle of Pines appears to be that above quoted, which refers 

 to a single specimen shot by Mr. Zappey at Santa Fe on May 10, 1904, 

 and which proved to be exactly like examples from New England. 

 Gundlach says that it occurs regularly in Cuba during migration, 

 in October and May, so that it is doubtless a regular migrant in the 

 Isle of Pines also, but may often have been confused with the smaller 

 resident form. 



