580 



PROCEEDINGS OF TEE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



VOL, 54. 



and Batrachostomus 14. In the following table is given the number 

 of cervical and cervico-dorsal vertebrae (those possessing free ribs) 

 and the number of complete ribs reaching the sternum in the species 

 at hand at the present time: 



List of soecies. 



ribs. 



Steatornis caripensis U.S.N.M. No. 18309 



Podargus strigoides U.S.N.M. No. 18572 



Podargus strigoides U.S.N.M. No. 19361 



Nyctibius griseus U.S.N.M No. 225851 



Chordeiles acutipennis A.W. No. 12C5 



Chordeiles virginianus A.W. No. 1269 



Chordeiles virginianus U.S.N.M. No. 224500. 

 PhalaenopHlus nitidus U.S.N.M. No. 19146.. 



Nyctidromus albicollis U.S.N.M. No. . . . 



Caprimulgus europaeus U.S.N.M. No. 19359 



Setochalcis vocifera U.S.N.M. No. 17478 



Antrostomus carolinensis A.W. No. 914 



Thermochalcis cayennensis A.W. No. 1280. . . 



It will be noted that Podargus has only 13 cervical vertebrae, in- 

 stead of 14, as given by other authors, and that (with the exception of 

 Steatornis) all of the other genera available (including Chordeiles 

 and G afrirmilgus) possess 14. 



There is enough of the base of the skull present in the specimen of 

 Nyctibius examined to show that well-developed basipterygoid proc- 

 esses are present, a fact not previously known, as Huxley^ figured 

 only the palatal portion of the skull in this bird, possibly from a 

 specimen taken from a study skin. 



In addition to this the writer is unable to find a trace of an oil 

 gland in this alcoholic specimen or in a series of skins of Nyctibius 

 that are available in the collections of the United States National 

 Museum. 



The tongue (fig. 3) of Nyctibius is small in proportion to the size 

 of the mouth cavity as in other Caprimulgi. In form it differs con- 

 siderably from the tongues of related genera. The tip of the tongue 

 in Nyctihius is somewhat elongate, with the lateral outlines at first 

 concave. The postero-lateral margins are produced as elongate points 

 that equal the anterior portion in length. The outline of the lat- 

 eral margin of these is convex. In general the form of the tongue 

 is that of the head of a spear point, with a deeply incised base, 

 spreading posterior angles, and slender point. The margins of the 

 tongue at the tip are smooth. A short distance behind small spine- 

 like papillae appear, with the points directed backward. These 

 increase greatly in size toward the posterior end of the tongue and 

 extend around on the inner margins of the posterior elongations. 

 These points are not wholly symmetrical in their arrangement upon 

 the opposite sides of the tongue. They are firm in texture and are 



1 Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1867, p. 454, fig. 6. 



