﻿484 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. loo 



A wounded bird uttered a loud nasal wan and threatened in a 

 rather snakelike manner, striking with opened bill, wings outspread. 

 It also uttered other sounds not unlike the growling of a puppy. 



Local name, "aguaitacamino." 



NYCTIDEOMUS ALBICOLLIS ALBICOLUS (Gmelin) 



Caprimulgus albicollis Gmelin, Systema naturae, vol. 1, pt. 2, 1789, p. 1030 

 (Cayenne.) 



SPECIMENS COLLECTED 



1 cf , Cantaura, March 3, 1946; gonads enlarged; iris brown; plumage fairly 

 fresh. 



1 ? , Cantaura, October 5, 1948; gonads small; iris dark; bill reddish brown, 

 black at tip, feet pale brown; gizzard contained large scarabaeid beetles and a 

 grasshopper; plumage not fresh. 



A widely distributed bird, ranging from Guatemala to Peru and to 

 eastern Brazil. It was common in the open woods around Cantaura 

 and Caicara, where it was recorded throughout the year. 



As there were several species of goatsuckers in the woods, the 

 collector was rarely certain that the caU notes heard belonged to this 

 species, nor, in this case, was he able to collect the bird while calling. 

 However, the call note commonly heard, a loud rapid series of tuc- 

 tuc-tuc, belongs most probably to this species. The most characteristic 

 call certainly of this species was a loud ah-ray-o, strongly accented on 

 the middle syllable. 



The name "aguaitacamino" is applied locally to aU goatsuckers. 



CAPRIMULGUS CAYENNENSIS CAYENNENSIS Gmelin 



Caprimulgus cayennensis Gmelin, Sj^stema naturae, vol. 1, pt. 2, 1789, p. 1031 

 (Cayenne) . 



specimens collected 



1 cf , Cantaura, June 8, 1947; gonads enlarged; iris brown; gizzard contained 

 small beetles. 



1 ? , Cantaura, December 16, 1947; gonads slightly enlarged; iris brown. 



1 ? , Caicara, November 7, 1947; gonads enlarged; iris brown; gizzard con- 

 tained a large grasshopper and a large beetle. 



The male collected is not quite so dark as a male from Roraima, 

 British Guiana, and, on the other hand, it is not so pale above as four 

 males from northeastern Colombia (Departments of Magdalena, 

 Bolivar, and Guajira), but it is nearer the latter. It is noticeably 

 darker than insularis (from Curagao) . The range of variation in the 

 limited material examined suggests that a study of this species with 

 adequate series, including topotypical Cayenne birds, should prove of 

 interest. 



The females are also somewhat darker than northeastern Colombian 

 examples. One of the present two is much more rufescent on the 



