1866.] MR. SCLATER ON THE AMERICAN CAPRI MULGI D.E. 13' 



Mr. E. C. Taylor (I. s. c.) has lately given us an interesting ac- 

 count of his excursion to the caves inhabited by this bird in Trinidad, 

 and I am indebted to that gentleman for one of the specimens pro- 

 cured on that occasion. Its existence in Trinidad was first deter- 

 mined by M. Hautessier. (See Bory St. Vincent in Compt. Rend, 

 viii. p. 474, 1838.) 



Mr. G. R. Gray (Gen. of Birds, i. p. 44) states that the Stea- 

 tornis is also found in Guadeloupe ; but this I believe is an error, 

 originating in the fact that M. l'Herminier, who has so well described 

 the bird in the ' Annales du Musee,' lived in Guadeloupe. But M. 

 l'Herminier expressly tells us that he obtained his specimens from 

 Caripe ; and I believe the form to be strictly a continental one — 

 Trinidad belonging zoologically to the neighbouring terra firma, and 

 having nothing to do with the Antilles. M. l'Herminier does not 

 mention in his description that the tibiae as well as the tarsi of this 

 eccentric bird are naked, being covered only by a smooth horny skin, 

 and that there is no appearance of tarsal scutes. 



There can be no doubt that this singular form is purely frugivo- 

 rous. Dr. Funck, who visited the cavern of Caripe in 1843, gives 

 us (Bull. Acad. Brux. xi. pt. 2. p. 3/3) the names of the fruits upon 

 which it feeds. 



Subfam. III. CAPRIMULGIN.E. 



We now come to the more typical Caprimulgidce, which are always 

 distinguishable by the outer toe having only four digits, and by the 

 pectinated claw of the middle toe. The American species of this 

 subfamily are easily divisible into two sections. The Caprimulgince 

 glabrirostres containing the genera Chordeiles and its allies, do not 

 possess the strong bristles springing from the edge of the upper 

 mandible at its base and covering the gape, which distinguish the 

 more typical section or Caprimulgince setirostres. The genera of 

 this subfamily may be briefly distinguished as follows : — 



Sect. I. Caprimulgin.e glabrirostres. 



A. Tarsis validis, digito medio longioribus, omnino nudis. . (1.) Podager. 



B. Tarsis modicis, digito medio brevioribus, plus minusve 



vestitis. 



a. Cauda brevi, fere quadrata (2.) Lurocalis. 



b. Cauda elongata. paulum furcata (3.) CJwrdeihs. 



Sect. II. Caprimulgince setirostres. 



A. Ae rem : tarsis brevibus, plus minusve vestitis. 



a. Alis normalibus ; remigibus ii d0 et iii° longissimis. 



a. Cauda modica, apice rotundata. (4.) AntrosfoMiw. 



b'. Cauda elongata, apice ;equali (5.) B/enopsis. 



c. Cauda longissima, furcata aut bifurcata . . (6.) Hydropsalis. 



b. Alis in mari abnormalibus ; rem. vi. primis fere 



rcqualibus (7.) Heleothreptus. 



B. Terricolce : tarsis elongatis, nudis. 



a. Rostro modice lato: narium apertura vixexstante. (8.) Nyctidromus. 



b. Rostro latissimo : narium apertura longe eminente . (9.) 8iphonorhis. 



