80 



VERTEBRATA. 





THE KUEOPEAJ* GOAT-SUCKKE. 



FI^8IR08TRi:8. 



The first cfroiip of the Passerine birds, that of the Fissirostres, is characterized by having the 

 gape-line continued far back, usually reaching under the eyes. They are generally insectivorous 

 birds, and many of them take their prey on the wing ; the gape is accordingly usually furnished 

 with bristles, which^ by enlarging the space occupied by the mouth, greatly facilitate the capture 

 of insects. This group includes the Goat-Suckers, Swallows, Motmots, Todies, Eurylaiminm, 

 Rollers, Trogons, Puff-birds, Kingfishers, Jacamars, and Bee-Eaters. 



THE CAPRIMULGID^ OR GOAT-SUCKERS. 



The birds of this curious family, often called Night- Swallows, have some resemblance to the 



owls in their large heads, large eyes, and mottled cover- 

 ing, and also in their nocturnal or crepuscular habits 

 and their noiseless flight. Their bill is short and weak; 

 the tarsi are short, and frequently covered with plumes; 

 the feet are small and weak, and hence these birds, in- 



stead of sitting across the 



pero 



h and 



grasping it wi 



th 



their feet, sit lengthwise upon it. The middle toe is 

 very long, and the claw is pectinated, or toothed like a 

 comb. The use of this has been a matter of dispute: 

 some say that it serves to hold fast beetles and other 

 slippery insects, and others that it is employed to 

 comb the birds' whiskers. They live upon moths, bee- 

 tles, and other insects, which they generally pursue 

 during the twilight, sometimes well into the night, their 

 large visual organs collecting sufficient light for them to 

 perceive their minute prey long after it is invisible to 

 the eye of man. The enormous gape of their mouths, 

 aided by bristles springing from each side of the upper 

 mandible, furnishes a capacious trap for securing their 

 game. The form and extent of the mouth are so extraor- 



HEAD AND FOOT OF THE GOAT-SUCKER. 



dinary, that 



ao-es 



ago 



the people of Greece and Italy, 



