COSMETORNIS VEXILLARIUS. 89 
from the other African Goatsuckers by the outer web of the last tail- 
feather being white for its whole extent, the white tip to the inner 
web being small: the secondaries all broadly tipped with white: five 
primaries spotted with white. Total length, 10 inches ; wing, 6-4. 
Fig. Finsch and Hartlaub, Vog. Ost.-Afr., taf. 1. 
85. CoOSMETORNIS VEXILLARIUS. Standard-winged Nightjar. 
This remarkable Nightjar has not yet occurred in the Cape Colony, 
but is found a little further to the northward in Damara Land and 
across to the Zambesi. Mr. Andersson says :—“ I only observed 
this singular Nightjar in the large forests about one degree south of 
the river Okavango. I never saw many of them, and the few that 
were observed were all found within from twenty to one hundred 
yards of each other.” In the British Museum is a specimen pro- 
cured by Mr. Andersson at Elephant Vley on the 13th of October, 
1859, being the example mentioned by Mr. Gurney as formerly in 
the editor’s private collection (cf. Gurney in Anderss. B. Dam. Ld. 
p: 46). Senor Anchieta has procured it at Biballa in the Mossa- 
medes district of Angola, where he says it bears the native name of 
Pumbamba. Dr. Kirk writes:—‘ The Cosmetornis was first observed 
about 300 miles up the Zambesi, a little above Teté, on the Kebrabassa 
Rapids in November, 1858, and was there decidedly common. It 
was again met with on the western side of Lake Nyassa (lat. 12° to 
18° S.) where, in September and October, it was very common, being 
seen in flocks of from fifteen to twenty. It was also common at 
Chibisa on the Shiré in lat. 16° S. It was only during the months 
from October until January that the singular prolongations of the 
wing-feathers were observed. These are peculiar to the males. Like 
other Nightjars the habits of the Cosmetornis are crepuscular. It 
catches insects on the wing, and frequents bushy lands and the 
vicinity of water. When started during the day-time from the 
ground where they always rest, they fly swiftly to a little distance, 
and again settle, but are exiremely difficult to follow with the eye. 
Not so the males when in full plumage; in their case there is no 
difficulty ; their flight is evidently retarded, and they become pro- 
minent objects from the long streamers waving behind them. A 
deviation from the usual habits of this bird was observed when 
cruising on the Nyassa. On two occasions being overtaken ina 
