POOR-WILL. 
418. Phalenoptilus nuttalli. 7% inches. 
The female of this beautiful little Night-jar differs 
from the male only in having narrow butfy tips to the 
outer tail feathers instead of broad white ones. Like all 
the members of this family these birds are dusk fliers, 
remaining at rest on the ground in daylight. Their 
frosted gray plumage harmonizes so perfectly with their 
surroundings that it is almost impossible to see them. 
Their eggs are nearly immaculate, but usually show 
traces of the lavender blotches that mark others of the 
family. Their call is a mournful “poor-will-ee.” They 
are found from the Plains to the Pacific, but are not 
common east of the Rockies. 
MERRILL PARAQUE. 
419. Nyctidromus albicollis merrilli. 13 inches. 
As usual with birds of this family, sexual difference in 
the plumage occurs chiefly on the tips of the outer tail 
feathers. These birds are common in the Lower Rio 
Grande Valley in Texas. Their eggs differ from any of 
the preceding in having a salmon-colored ground. 
