Ik 



J ORDER PASSERES. 113 



of insects, and by means of which, in some species, at least, 

 it seems they are enabled to retain many insects of small size 

 at a time in their mouth, and thus to swallow a number of 

 them together. 



M. D'Azara, in his work on the Animals of Paraguay, has 

 'described several species of these birds, short specific charac- 

 ters of which are given in the table. His valuable observa- 

 tions, however, afford little on their habits, instincts, and 

 manners, to interest, beyond what is above stated. 



One species, however, is too remarkable to be confounded. 

 It is the Ibigau of Paraguay, the Scissars-tailed Goatsucker, 

 C^rimulgus psalurus. D'Azara saw but few of these birds, 

 amays alone, and in the middle of winter only frequenting 

 rivers, and flying near the surface of the water. When they 

 alter the direction of their flight they open wide the scissars- 

 like feathers of the tail. These feathers, of which the outer- 

 most run out to a considerable distance from the rest, bear 

 some analogy to the long feathers which proceed from the 

 shoulder of the Leona goatsucker, except that in the latter 

 species the feathers are barbed only at the end, whereas in 

 this the barbs are longest near the insertion, and diminish by 

 degrees toward the tip. This character is much more remark- 

 able in the old males than in the females, or young birds. 

 We insert a figure from M. Temminck"'s work. 



Like the rest of the genus, the prevailing colour of this 

 bird is dark brown, varied with spots of different forms and 

 sizes, lighter brown, and white ; the neck is yellow, and the 

 ground colour of the throat yellowish white. 



The strength of the bill is the principal character which 

 distinguishes our author"'s genus, Podargus, from the com- 

 mon goatsuckers. If their bill were more compressed it would 

 resemble that of the owls, to which, indeed, this group of the 

 goatsuckers is much assimilated, by nocturnal habits, the 

 nature of the plumage, and the stiff bristly hairs which 

 surround the base of the upper mandible. 



VOL. VII. I 



