i8S6.] Cory on the Birds of the West Indies. 339 



tinged with pale rufous on the back, wing-coverts, and underparts ; 

 throat dull white, the shafts of the feathers brown, giving the throat 

 the appearance of being streaked with narrow lines of brown ; these 

 lines are broader on the shafts of the feathers on the bellv, many of 

 the feathers being tipped with brown, and showing the pale rufous 

 edging before mentioned ; wings and tail brown, imperfectly banded 

 with pale markings; upper surface of tail showing imperfect white 

 bands; under surface of tail thickly mottled with dull white; under 

 surface of wings brown, with white dots. 



Length (skin), i6; wing, 12; tail, 8.50; culmen, i. 

 Habitat. Jamaica. 



Nyctibius pallidus Gosse. 



Nyctibiiis pallidus GossE, Bds. Jam. p. 49 (1847). — Bp. Consp. I, p. 58 

 (1850). — Albrecht, J. f. O, 1S62, p. 199. — March, Pr. Acad. Nat. 

 Sci. Phila. 1863, p. 2S6.— ScL. P. Z. S. 1S66, p. 129 (.?).— Gray, 

 Handl. Bds. I, p. 56 (1869). — A. & E. Newton, Handb. Jamaica, p. 

 108 (1881).— Cory, List Bds. W. I. p. 16 (1885). 



"Length 11 inches, expanse 22, rictus i|, beak from feathers to 

 tip I, flexture, 6, tail t,\. 



"The nostrils prominent, tubulated, and covered with a mem- 

 brane; from the nostrils runs a deep groove or furrow towards the 

 tip. The beak was bent like the end of an Owl's, and when closed 

 was longer than the under mandible; the latter was of a subulated 

 form, shorter and bending in a contrary direction to the upper one : 

 it was broader than the upper; its margins were inverted, and re- 

 ceived the upper one exactly, when closed. There were no bristles 

 on the angle of the mouth. The tibije (tarsi.'*) or shank-bones are 

 shortened into a heel, so that the measure of what is usually called 

 the leg, from the bend of the knee to the first joint of the middle 

 toe, is only 2-8 of an inch. The length of that part which ought to 

 be called the leg, (tibia.') is i^ inch, and the bone of the thigh i 

 inch. Toes four, three before, one behind; covered with ash- 

 coloured scales, very flat beneath, and all connected by narrow 

 membrane. Claws brown, strong, gently curved, and compressed ; 

 middle claw thinned to an edge on the inner side, but not serrate. 

 Tail of ten feathers, etljual, broad, rounded, barred with blackish 

 and grey, and these bars again marked with less black bars. Wing 

 quills coloured chiefly like the tail, but deeper; secondaries edged 

 with clay-colour; winglet and long coverts immediately beneath it, 

 black, with a few whitish bars; greater coverts black, edged with 

 clay-colour; the next row of coverts whitish, with black shafts; the 

 next row black, making a large triangular black spot in the ex- 

 panded wing. Eyes very large, irides bright j'cllow. Head, neck, 

 and throat, white, with black shafts; above each eye some black 

 and white streaked feathers in an erect position, forming two small 



