64 PENNANT-WINGED NIGHT-JAR. 



seventeen inches; the webs occupy exactly six, 

 while all the rest of the shaft is naked, the rudi- 

 mentary hairs on each side merely indicating the 

 position of the laminae, had they been developed ; 

 we cannot subscribe to an opinion we have heard ex* 

 pressed, that these latter have been rubbed or worn 

 off. Another specimen, which we suppose is the 

 female, is perfect in all its plumage, but has no in- 

 dication, as already observed, of these feathers. In 

 their texture they are remarkably flexible, moving 

 about with the least breath of wind : the inner web 

 is so broad, that the laminae in the middle measure 

 two inches and a half; the outer web, on the con- 

 trary, is very narrow, and the longest laminas are 

 hardly half an inch. 



We may now proceed to a short description of the 

 plumage, which does not, in other respects, mate- 

 rially differ from the rest of its congeners. The wings, 

 for the small size of the bird, are very long, and 

 rather exceed, or are at least equal to, the tips of 

 the tail; this latter, also, is perfectly even, and 

 consists of ten feathers. Of the three first quill- 

 feathers of the wing, which are by much the longest, 

 the first is shorter than the third, which is slightly 

 succeeded by the second. The bristles of the mouth 

 are strong and equal to the length of the bill, which 

 is weak ; the middle toe is lengthened, and the 

 lateral toes are equal. 



The plumage is of the same general mixture as 

 all the others of the family, which it is impossible to 

 describe with successful discrimination. "We shall, 



