46 PASSERES. CAPRIMULGID^l. 



and rose from, the floor, without effort. When 

 resting on the floor, the wings were usually spread ; 

 when perching, they about reached the tip of the 

 tail. If I may judge of the habits of the Potoo 

 from what little I have observed of it when at 

 liberty, and from the manners of my captive spe- 

 cimen, I presume that, notwithstanding the power- 

 ful wings, it flies but little ; but that sitting on 

 some post of observation, it watches there till 

 some crepuscular beetle wings by, on which it 

 sallies out, and having captured it with its cavern- 

 ous and viscid mouth, returns immediately to its 

 station. Mr. Swainson appears to consider that 

 the stiff bristles, with which many Caprimulgida 

 are armed, have a manifest relation to the size 

 and power of their prey, beetles and large moths, 

 while these appendages are not needed in the swal- 

 lows, their prey consisting of " little soft insects." 

 (Class. Birds.) But here is a species, whose prey 

 is the hardest and most rigid beetles, of large size, 

 and often set with formidable horns, which has no 

 true rictal bristles at all ! 



Finding that my Potoo would not eat, and feel- 

 ing reluctant to starve it, I killed it for preparation. 

 In depriving it of life, I first endeavoured to stran- 

 gle it by pressure on the trachea, but I found 

 that with all the strength of my fingers, I could 

 not compress it so as to prevent the admission of 

 air sufficient for respiration. I was obliged, there- 

 fore, to apply one or two smart blows on the 

 head with a stick. While giving it these death- 

 blows, much against my feelings, it uttered, on 



