128 MR. SCLATER ON THE AMERICAN CAPRIMULGID^E. [Feb. 27, 



able from the Old- World Podargince by the singular form of the bill 

 (which has a strong tooth on the margin of the upper mandible), and 

 by other peculiarities. I have seen specimens of Jive very distinct spe- 

 cies of this genus, which may be shortly distinguished as follows : — 



1. Nyctibius grandis. 



Caprimulffiis grandis, Gin. (ex Buff. PI. Enl. 325); Max. Beitr. iii. 

 p. 295. 



Nyctibius grandis, Vieill. ; Gray & Mitch. Gen. Birds, i. pi. 16 ; 

 Janl. & Selby, 111. Orn. ser. 1. vol. ii. pi. 89; Schomb. Reise, iii. 

 p. 711 ; Burm. Syst. Ueb. ii. p. 374. 



Albo-cinereus, partim rufescens, nigro vermiculatus ; axillis nigris, 

 humeris rujis : subtus dilutior, fascia pectorali indistinctu 

 nigra: long, tota 19, alee 14, caudce 10 poll. Angl. 



Hab. Cayenne {Buff.) ; British Guiana {Schomb.) ; littoral of 

 S.E. Brazil {Max.) ; Upper Ucayali (Bartlett). 



Easily distinguished from all its relatives except N. cethereus by 

 its dimensions. It is well figured in Gray and Mitchell's ' Genera' 

 {I. c.) about two-thirds of the natural size. The egg of this bird 

 is described by Burmeister in Cabauis's Journal (i. p. 171), and has 

 been figured by Thieueman. 



2. Nyctibius ^ethereus. 



Caprimulgus cethereus, Max. Beitr. iii. p. 303. 

 Nyctibius cethereus, Cassin, Cat. Capr., et Pr. Acad. Phil. v. p. 1 84 ; 

 Burm. Syst. Ueb. ii. p. 375. 



Rufus, nigro striatus, subtus dilutior, magis ochraceus ; maculis 

 pectoris rotundis et striis in ventre nigris : long, tota 20, 

 alee 13, caudce 12. 



Hab. Littoral of S.E. Brazil, province of Bahia {Max.). 



This large species is easily distinguishable from N. grandis by 

 its shorter wings and longer tail, by the rufous colouring above, the 

 large black terminal spots on the breast-feathers, and the longitu- 

 dinal black striae on the belly. There is a specimen in the British 

 Museum, and others in Mr. Eyton's and Mr. Salvin's collections. 



Mr. Cassin (Pr. Acad. Nat. Sc. Phil. v. p. 184) says very truly 

 according to my ideas) that this species is a " much larger bird " than 

 the next following, " being about the size of N. grandis." But the 

 figure given by Mr. Cassin in the ' United States Exploring Expedi- 

 tion,' Atlas, Ornithology, pi. 14, and stated (p. 191) to be "of the 

 natural size," is of much smaller dimensions than those assigned to it, 

 and in some other respects more nearly resembles N. longicaudatus. 



3. Nyctibius longicaudatus. 



Caprimulgus longicaudatus, Spix, Av. Bras. ii. p. I, pi. I. 

 Nyctibius longicaudatus, Tsch. F. P. p. 124 ; Cassin, Cat. Capr., 

 et Pr. Ac. Phil. v. p. 184. 



Rufus, nigro vermiculatus ; maculis pectoris rotundis et striga 

 subrictali distincta nigris ; alis caudaque subtus distincte nigro 







