PASSEKINE BIKDS. 



423 



The tribe of Nocturnal Fissirostres comprehends 



The Goatsuckers (Caprimukws),* consisting of several genera, 

 very much resembling each other in their plumage and habits. 

 They only appear in the evening, and for this reason they might 

 be called crepuscular birds. The silky nature of their feathers and 

 their mixed and mottled plumage give them, as far as relates to their 

 colour, a strong resemblance to Owls. Their eyes are large : their 

 beak, furnished with strong moustaches, and more deeply cleft than 

 in Swallows, is capable of receiving the largest insects, which it 

 retains by means of a viscid saliva. The nostrils are in the form 

 of small tubes, near its base. Their wings are long, their legs short 



FlG. 350. NIGHT JAU. 



and feathered, and the thumb can be directed forwards. These 

 birds live solitary, and only fly during the twilight or on fine nights ; 

 they pursue moths and other nocturnal insects, and lay a small 

 number of eggs on the ground, without taking much care to con- 

 struct a nest. When they fly, the rushing of the air into their wide 

 mouths produces a peculiar humming noise. They have been ac- 

 cused of sucking goats, whence their name ; but this is an un- 

 founded calumny that, perhaps, had its origin from the circum- 

 stance of their frequenting fields where goats and sheep are herded, 

 in pursuit of the insects that are attracted by their presence. 



Capra, a goat ; mulgeo, to milk. 



