NIGHTJAR. 247 



The upper mandible of the beak, extending- but little from 

 tlie forehead, is black, with nine or ten stiif bristles arranged 

 along the edge on each side ; the under mandible also black 

 at the point, but pale brown at the base ; the gape very wide 

 and extendincr so far backwards as to bring the angle in a ver- 

 tical line under the posterior edge of the eye : the irides 

 dusky black ; the top of the head is pale greyish brown, pro- 

 duced by dark minute specks on a yellowish white ground ; a 

 dark central stripe of blackish brown feathers passes to the 

 nape of the neck ; the ear-coverts and a patch of feathers on 

 each side behind the car-coverts are also dark brown, bounded 

 below and behind with pale yellowish brown, thus dividing 

 the freckled grey colour of the head from that of the back, 

 rump, and upper tail-coverts ; the scapularies anteriorly, and 

 on the outer sides, are bounded by dark brown, mixed with 

 some yellow brown ; the anterior part of the wing is also dark 

 brown, bounded posteriorly with lighter brown ; the quill- 

 feathers dark brown, spotted on both webs with yellow brown, 

 and tipped with grey ; the first three primaries on each side, 

 in the male bird, have a well-defined oblong patch of pure 

 white on the inner web ; the middle tail-feathers freckled 

 grey, with seven or eight darker transverse bars ; the two 

 outer feathers on each side are dark brown, barred with yel- 

 low brown on both webs, and in the males, these two feathers 

 on each side have broad ends of pure white ; all the under 

 surface of the bird, from the chin to the under tail-coverts, is 

 of a pale yellow brown, with numerous transverse bars of 

 darker brown ; both sexes with a few white feathers below 

 the angle of the gape on each side ; the legs, toes and claws 

 orange brown ; the middle toe long, and furnished with a 

 comb-like apparatus of seven or eight small teeth on the inner 

 edge of the thin and dilated claw. 



The whole length of the bird ten inches and a half; from 

 the carpal joint to the end of the wing seven inches and three 



