310 Miscellaneous. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



Descriptions of new species of Birds of the Family Caprimulgidre. 



By John Cassin. 



Genus Hydropsalis, Wagler, Isis 1832, page 1222. 



1 . Hydropsalis limbatus, nobis. 



Adult $ ? Form.— Wings long, pointed, with the shafts of the 

 primaries strong and slightly curved ; first primary longest, second 

 and third deeply sinuated on their outer webs, and, with the first, 

 having their external margins distinctly serrated. Tail excessively 

 long, graduated, the two external feathers surpassing the next by 

 about 14 inches ; others regularly receding to the two in the middle 

 which are shortest. Tarsi feathered slightly below the knee. Webs 

 of outer tail-feathers narrow. 



Dimensions. — Total length of skin, from the tip of bill to end of 

 tail, about 2 feet 5 inches ; of the wing 9 inches ; of the tail to end of 

 external feathers about 22 inches ; length of two middle tail-feathers 

 about 3 inches. 



Colours. — Upper surface of the head, body and wing-coverts 

 brownish black, spotted and sparingly lined with pale fulvous. The 

 wing-coverts with round spots at their points of the same colour. 



Superciliary region grayish white, every feather having narrow 

 irregular lines of black. Hind-neck with a semi-collar of bright 

 reddish fulvous. Under the eye an irregular whitish stripe. 



Scapular feathers with their external webs black, with a few curved 

 lines of fulvous remote from the tip, which is broadly margined with 

 black ; internal webs of scapulars nearly white, irregularly striped and 

 spotted with black ; other scapulars nearly black, with pale fulvous 

 margins externally. 



Throat before with a white collar. Chin, breast and belly irregularly 

 mixed with brownish black and pale yellowish white, the latter colour 

 assuming upon the breast the form of semicircular segments and 

 lunular spots upon the tips of the feathers, and the former (blackish) 

 disposed to form very irregular narrow bands upon the flanks and 

 belly ; ventral region and under tail-coverts paler. 



Quills brownish black, having upon their internal webs four or five 

 narrow transverse lines of pale yellowish white, conspicuous when 

 viewed from below ; and upon their external webs (except the first) 

 several rounded or irregular-shaped spots of the same colour. Second 

 and third quills where sinuated upon their outer webs, with a very 

 slight margin of white. Secondaries obscurely tipped w'.th whitish. 



First, second and th'ird tail-feathers throughout their whole length 

 with their outer webs and about two-thirds of their inner webs brownish 

 black ; other portion of the inner webs, being the internal margin of 

 those feathers, white ; a few bright fulvous spots near the base upon 

 the outer webs. Fourth and fifth tail-feathers with similar colours, 

 but more broadly bordered with white, which upon those, as well as 

 the third, is sparingly spotted with brownish. 



Young ?? Form. — Tail deeply emarginate, but not excessively 

 long; external feathers exceeding the next by about \\ inch only. 



