passerin.t:. 263 



inner edge, and tlie external toe has but four phalanges, a conformation 

 very rare among birds. Goatsuckers live solitarily, and never venture 

 abroad, except at twilight, and in the night during fine weather. They 

 hunt Phalenae and other nocturnal insects, and lay a small number of eggs 

 on the bare ground, without taking any pains in the construction of a 

 nest. The rushing of the air into their immense mouth, while on the 

 wing, produces a very peculiar humming sound. There is but one spe- 

 cies in Europe, 



Capr. europceiis, L.; Enl. 193. (European Goatsucker). Size 

 of a thrush; of an undulated greyish-brown, mottled with blackish 

 brown ; a whitish band reaching from the bill to the back of the neck. 

 It builds in the furze or long grass, and lays only two eggs. 



America produces several of these birds with a round or square 

 tail, one of which is as large as an owl, Caprim. grandis, Enl. 325 ; 

 and another, C. vociferus, Wils. V, xli, celebrated on account of 

 its loud and peculiar cries in the spring of the year*. One of them 

 is found in New Holland. 



There are some also in Africa*!", part of which have a pointed 

 tail J, and others, whose forked one affords an additional indication 

 of the affinity between this genus and that of the swallows§. There 

 is even one in America, the forks of whose tail are longer than the 

 body II ; the middle nail of these fork-tailed species is not dentated. 

 One species, likewise from Africa, but with a round tail, is very 

 remarkable for a feather twice the length of the body, which arises 

 from near the carpus of each wing, and is barbed only near the end : 

 the Caprim longipennis, Shaw, Nat. Miscell. 265. 



PoDARGUS, Cuv. 



The Podarges have the form, colour, and habits of the Goatsuckers; 

 but the bill is stouter, and there are neither membranes between the toes, 

 nor is the middle nail dentated**. 



P. Cuvieri; P. cendre; Vieill. Galer. 123. Variegated with 

 ash, whitish and blackish colours ; size of a Rook. 



P. javanensis, Horsf. Jav. Red, varied with brown; a white 

 band along the scapulars. 



P. cornutus, T., Col. 159. Red, varied with white; large tufts 

 of feathers at the ears. 



* Add Capr. virginianns, Edw. 63, or americanus, Wils. V, xl, 1 , 2, which appears to 

 me at any rate very nearly allied to the guyanensis, Enl. 733; it has heen confounded 

 with the vociferus; — Cap?: caroUnensis, Catesb. 8, Wils. VI, liv. 2, a species very closely 

 allied to that of Europe; — C.jamdicensis, Lath., Syn. II, pi. Ivii; — C.rufus, Enl- 735 ; 

 — C. semitorquatus, Enl. 734; — C. cayennensis, Enl. 760; — C. acutits, Enl. 752; — C 

 Nattercri, Col. 107 i—C.diuriius, Pr. ]\Iax., Col. 182;~-C. mystavaiis, Tem. 



t C. infuscatus, Ruppel., pi. vi; — C. isabellintts, T. Col. 379;— C. eximius, Ruppel. , 

 Col. 398. 



X C. climacuriis, Vieill. Galer. 122. 



§ Capr.furcatus, Cuv. Vaill Afr. 47; — C.pectoralis, Id. lb. 94. 



II C. psalums, Tem. Col. 117, 151. 



** M. Vigors considers this subgenus as connecting Caprimulgus with Ulula. 



