l68 Clark, Pfeiylosis of Podargus and theCaprimulgi. LApril 



branches are slender and nearly parallel. The humeral tracts are 

 strongly developed and unite over the shoulder with the ventral 

 tracts. The femoral tracts are very large and in the specimen 

 before me consist of two very distinct parts : an outer band which 

 runs forward from near the base of the tail, along the posterior 

 side, of the femur, and directly across the tibia, Just above the middle, 

 and a large patch on the femur just above this band. The latter 

 patch is made up of about fifty short, thick and very oily feathers, 

 as the new feathers were just appearing here. It is possible that 

 these patches had recently been moulted, but there were no young 

 feathers anywhere else on the bird, and I am inclined to think 

 that in the great reduction or absence of the oil-gland, these 

 patches furnish the oil for preening the plumage. (The examin- 

 ation of a few skins would soon settle this point.) There is a 

 small but distinct pteryla on the front of the tibia. The lower 

 cervical tract is narrow and forked far up on the throat. On the 

 chin the feathering is confined to about five somewhat separated 

 rows, which form a longitudinal band with convex sides in the 

 middle of the infra-mandibular space. The ventral tracts are 

 wide on the breast but narrow on the belly, and are connected 

 with the hypopterum by a very large and evident ' hook ' of 

 feathers, on the sides. The oil-gland is entirely w^anting in the 

 specimen before me. The feet are feathered only to the tarsal 

 joint. The filoplumes are very long and slender. There is no 

 true down. The aftershaft is reduced to a mere scale only about 

 I mm. long and bearing no barbs, but the barbs of the two sides 

 of the feather meet at its base. There are no rictal bristles. 

 The rectrices are lo in number, the middle pair longest, the outer 

 shortest. The alula contains 4 feathers. The wing is aquincu- 

 bital and there are 14 secondaries. The primaries are 10 in num- 

 ber, of which the sixth, seventh and eighth are longest. Nitzsch 

 gives only 21 remiges to Podargus, but there are clearly 24 in the 

 specimen before me. 



Just before Mr. Lucas sent me Podargus, a very good male 

 Chuck-wills-widow (^Antrostomus carolinensis) came into my pos- 

 session, and the examination of its pterylosis proved of consid- 

 erable interest. It differs very decidedly from that of the Whip- 

 poorwill, quite as much so as from any of the North American 



