26 BULLETIN 86, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



e^ Upper surface more blackish, the light markings more whitish 

 (less ochraceous or tawny) ; posterior under surface less buffy 

 or ochraceous (more whitish). 

 f. Under surface somewhat darker, more tinged with buffy or ochra- 

 ceous; ground color of upper parts more blackish and the light 

 markings less numerous and somewhat more ochraceous. 



Chordeiles virginianus virginianus. 

 f. Under surface somewhat lighter, less tinged with buffy or ochra- 

 ceous ; ground color of upper parts more brownish and the light 

 markings more numerous and somewhat more whitish (less 

 ochraceous). 

 g^. Dark ground color of upper surface more grayish and somewhat 

 lighter ; light markings above more numerous and more gray- 

 ish or whitish ; lower surface slightly lighter. 



Chordeiles virginianus sennetti, 

 g^. Dark ground color of upper surface more brownish and some- 

 what darker; light markings above less numerous and more 

 brownish, buffy or ochraceous ; lower surface slightly darker. 



Chordeiles virginianls hesperis. 



CHORDEILES VIRGINIANUS (Gmelin). 



[Caprimulgusl virginianus Gmelin, Syst. Nat., vol. 1, pt. 2, 1789, p. 1028 

 (Virginia).^ 



Chants, sp. {adult male). — Interorbital region of skull very broad; 

 longitudinal ridges on the median portion of frontal bones not 

 strongly developed; maxillo-palatines relatively rather broadly 

 subtriangular ; vomer very narrow; antero-exterior processes of the 

 palatines moderately slender; pterygoids with a decided exterior 

 angle near the anterior end, whereby the terminal portion is usually 

 more or less parallel with the posterior border of the palatine, and 

 nearly or quite in contact with the latter; first (outermost) primary 

 usually longer than the second; shortest secondary usually falling 

 short of the tips of primary coverts by at least 5 mm. ; distance from 

 bend of folded wing to end of shortest secondary nearly always less 

 than from latter point to end of fourth primary (counting from the 

 outermost) ; tips of rectrices rounded ; upper surface black or brown- 

 ish black, mottled with whitish or buffy ; tail dark brown or blackish, 

 irregularly barred with white, gray or buff; wing-quills fuscous, 

 usually the 5, occasionally the 4 or 6 outer primaries with a large 

 white or rarely buffy spot between the tips of the seventh and tenth 

 primaries (counting from the outermost) ; primary coverts, also 

 outer webs of primaries and secondaries, either immaculate or with 

 at most faint spots or bars ; tliroat of male white ; jugulum and breast 

 dark brown or blackish, spotted with whitish, buff, ochraceous or 

 tawny; remainder of lower surface whitish or buffy, barred with 

 blackish or dark brown ; axillars and under wing-coverts dark brown 

 or blackish, barred with whitish or buffy. 



1 Further synonymy under the various subspecies. 



