370 Mr. E. Hartert on some Species of 



Recent Attempts to Classify Birds''). It was then repeated 

 in Cat. B. xvi. p, 434, aud_, I am sorry to say, also by me, 

 when stating the principal characters of the Caprimulgidse 

 (Cat. B, xvi. p. 519). How I came to repeat the error I do 

 not know, but it was unpardonable, no doubt. 



According to most valuable and kind information of Dr. 

 R. W. Shufeldt, of Washington, D.C., the palate is aegitho- 

 gnathous in Caprimulgus europaus, C. vociferus {" Antro- 

 stomus"), Phal(Bn,optilus nuttalU, Nyctid ramus, and others, 

 while it is distinctly desmognathous in Chordeiles (several 

 species examined). With regard to C. eurojxmus, the 

 palate was also found to be legithognathous by Sharpe 

 (see ' Handb. Brit. Birds,^ vol. ii.), and I can confirm this, 

 and. the desmognathous palate of Chordeiles, from my own 

 inspection. See also Huxley (P. Z. S. 1867, pp. 450-454, 

 f. 35) and Dr. Shufeldt's important investigations (P. Z. S. 

 1885, pi. lix. ; Journ. Linn. Soc. Lond., Zool. xx. pi. xx.), 

 and others. It is very remarkable, and an important proof 

 that single characters of that kind cannot safely be used to 

 diagnose families, that among the Caprimulgidae we find 

 palates which are of different constructions. The value of 

 the structure of the palate as a taxonomical character has 

 undoubtedly been overrated. 



Chiefly instigated by the small Caprimulyi found by Prof. 

 Koenig in Algiers, and by the very small specimen shot by 

 Mr. Grant on the Salvages, I have paid more attention to the 

 southern specimens of C europcBus, and have found that those 

 from South Spain are generally very short-winged, but very 

 dark — in fact, about the darkest birds of all, like West- 

 European specimens in general; that most of those from 

 Algiers and Tunis are rather small, and some rather paler too. 

 Recently also I have received a good series from Greece, from 

 Mr. W. Schliiter, which are all very short-winged, while 

 many, though not all, of them are somewhat paler than 

 West-European forms. It is therefore evident that Southern 

 birds (of course wanderers excepted) are short-winged, and 

 may be separated as a subspecies, which may be named 

 C europceus meridionalis, while they are darkest in the west. 



