638 NIGHTJAR 



NIGHTJAR or GOATSUCKER, a bird from very ancient times 

 absurdly believed to have the habit implied by one of the common 

 names it bears in many European tongues besides our own as 

 testified by the Greek Aiyo#?jAas, the Latin Caprimulgus, Italian 

 Succiacapre, Spanish Chotacabras, French Tettechkwe, and German 

 Ziegenmelker. It is admittedly the type of a very peculiar and 

 distinct Family, Caprimulgidze, a group remarkable for the flat head, 

 enormously wide mouth, large eyes, and soft, pencilled plumage 

 of its members, which vary in size from that of a Lark to that of a 

 Jay. Its position has been variously assigned by systematists. 

 Prof. Huxley considered it to form, with two other Families the 

 Cypselidse (SWIFT) and Trochilidas (HUMMING-BIRD) the division 

 CYPSELOMORPELE. The same view was taken in 1884 by Dr. 

 Reichenow; but in 1885 Dr. Stejneger proposed to place it in a 

 " Superorder " Coracoidese along with $fea0rms (GuACHARo), Coraciidw 

 (ROLLER) and Leptosomatidse ; while in 1888, Prof. Fiirbringer put 

 it between the Rollers and OWLS, with which it forms in his opinion 

 a group Coraciiformes. There are two ways of regarding the 

 Caprimulgidse one including the genus Podargus (MOREPORK) and 

 its allies, the other recognizing them as a distinct Family, Podargidse, 

 as is done among others by Mr. Hartert (Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xvi. 

 pp. 519-654). As a matter of convenience the last are here 

 comprehended in the Caprimulgidse, which will then contain two 

 subfamilies, Caprimulginse and Podarginse ; for what, according to 

 older authors, constitutes a third, though represented only by 

 Steatornis, the singular GUACHARO or Oil -bird, certainly requires 

 separation as an independent Family. 



Some of the differences between the Caprimulginse and Podarginze 

 were pointed out by Mr. Sclater (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1866, p. 123), and 

 are very obvious. In the former, the outer toes have/ow phalanges 

 only, thus presenting a very uncommon character among Birds, and 

 the middle claws are pectinated ; while in the latter the normal 

 number of five phalanges is found, the claws are smooth, and other 

 distinctions more recondite have also been indicated by him (torn, 

 cit. p. 582). The Caprimulginse may be further divided into those 

 having the gape thickly beset by strong bristles, and those in which 

 there are few such bristles or none the former containing the 



truth, he cut out her tongue to hinder her from revealing his deceit ; but she 

 depicted her sad story on a robe which she sent to Procne ; and the two sisters 

 then contrived a horrible revenge for the infidelity of Tereus, by killing and serv- 

 ing to him at table his son Itys. Thereupon the gods interposed, changing 

 Tereus into a Hoopoe, Procne into a Swallow, and Philomela into a Nightingale, 

 while Itys was restored to life as a Pheasant, and Pandion (who had died of grief 

 at his daughters' dishonour) as a Bird-of-Prey (see OSPREY). The fable has 

 several variants. Ovid's version may be seen in the 6th Book of his Meta- 

 morphoses (lines 412-676). 



