I So Stejneger, Analecta Ornithologica. [April 



the bird "Caprimulgus minor Americanus. Whip-poor-will," 

 thus proving that the identical inscription on Catesby's plate 

 is no objection to our identification made above. 



Then follows Linnaeus's "Caprimulgus europaeus P." This is 

 originally (175S) based solely upon Catesby's and Edwards's 

 figures ; in the 12th edition lie added the quotation of Kalm's 

 'Iter.' His reasons for making 'Caprimulgus minor americanus' 

 a variety of the European Goatsucker he expresses in the fol- 

 lowing words: "Varietatem p. judico ex macula alba alarum & 

 reciricum, ut in mare avis europeae." Gmelin's citation of Lin- 

 naeus's S. N., 1 2th edition, therefore, clearly belongs to the 

 Nighthawk 



Brisson's " Caprimulgus virginianus " which is next in order, 

 is based exclusively upon the two figures of Catesby and Edwards. 

 With his usual acuteness, however, he at once saw that the pic- 

 ture made by the latter was the more accurate one of the two, and 

 consequently he based his description mainly upon that, as he 

 expressly remarks about the former, "une figure pas assez exacte," 

 while of the latter he says, "une figure exacte." His description, 

 therefore, unquestionably belongs to the Nighthawk, notwithstand- 

 ing the fact that Catesby's drawing induced him to mention the 

 long bristles. 



Button's account (1. c.) is based upon the above-mentioned 

 authors, and belongs where they belong. Moreover, he mentions, 

 especially "les cinq premieres [pennes des ailes] marquees d'une 

 tache blanche vers le milieu," and remarks: "M. Linnaeus en fait 

 une variete dans l'espe-ce Europeenne ; mais il en diffbre par la 

 longuetir de ses ailes." 



"The longwinged Goatsucker" of Pennant (Arct. Zool. II, 

 p. 436, No. 337) which has " primaries black, marked near the 

 middle with a white bar," and of which the " wings, when 

 closed, extend beyond the end of the tail," is easily identified by 

 these characters alone as the Nighthawk. The accompanying 

 figure does not belong there, and has evidently been, by some 

 mistake, wrongfully inscribed. 



The first one, since Catesby and Edwards, who seems to have 

 had specimens before him, was Latham, referring, as he does, to 

 the British Museum and the Leverian Museum. He describes 

 his birds thus (I.e.) : 



"6. Virginia G[oatsucker]. . . . dull brown, transversely variega- 



[ fuscits, transversim 



