PENNANT-WINGED NIGHT- JAR. 63 



from all its congeners, but also from all others of the 

 feathered creation ; there does not, in fact, exist in 

 the whole circle of ornithology, any bird whose struc- 

 ture is even analogous to that now before us. 



The enormously long feathers, of which one is on 

 each wing, do not properly belong to the principal 

 quills, as it has generally been supposed, for, upon 

 attentively examining a fine adult male, now upon 

 our table we find that it is inserted immediately 

 between the primary and secondary quills; the 

 former consisting of the usual number (eight) pos- 

 sessed by the ordinary Night-jars, and even by the 

 female of this species, which is entirely destitute of 

 these supplementary feathers. Now, this is a very 

 important fact, for it goes far to prove that they are 

 not essential to the economy of the species, for if 

 otherwise, both sexes would possess them, unless 

 it be contended, a supposition highly improbable, 

 that the male feeds in one manner and the female 

 in another. In the absence of all information upon 

 this point, we are led to conclude that they are 

 more ornamental than useful; given to the male 

 sex as attractive decorations to the female, in a 

 similar manner as the flowing feathers of the para- 

 dise birds are known to distinguish the male sex. 

 Whether, or no, these ornamental plumes are lost 

 after the season of incubation, is a subject for future 

 inquiry, but they are certainly of very unequal 

 lengths in different individuals. We have seen 

 them, in one bird, only seven inches long, while in 

 that now before us, they measure, in extreme length, 



