CAPRIMULGUS MACROUEUS. 



(Large-tailed Goat Sucker.) 



^ _ 



Oenehal plumage, grey ; crown of the head, a collar of rufous behind the neck, ear coverts, shoulder coverts, and throat, rufous 

 brown, more or less pencilled with black ; wing coverts, mingled brownish black and rufous brown, many of the feathers being tipped with 

 white ; uppermost tertiaries, light grey, pencilled with brownish black ; secondaries, blackish brown, with bright spots of sienna brown ; 

 primaries, black, wdth three white irregular bands on the centre of the three quills next the outermost, which latter has a large white spot on 

 the inner web only ; the rest of the primaries are black, mottled with burnt sienna ; scapularies, tipped with large oval black spots on their 

 outer webs, each spot bounded by a sharp line of sienna brown ; tail, dull brown, indistinctly barred with blackish brown ; the two outermost 

 feathers on each side largely tipped with white ; a band of buffy white along the gape ; a large white patch beneath the throat ; the rest of 

 the under surface, reddish buff mingled with grey, and banded and pencilled with black ; bill, black ; irides, dark brown ; feet, brown. 

 Length, 10 inches ; wing, Gl ; tail, 5| ; bill, 1| ; tarsus, f . 



This is the only one of the genus yet discovered in Australia. It appears to be confined to the northern portions of the 

 continent : Leichhardt speaks of having met with it in latitude 22^ 57', which must for the present be considered its southern limit. What 

 its northern limit may be is probably not yet known, but it is found in various islands of the Malayan Archipelago. At Port Essington it 

 was found by Mr. Grilbert frequenting the open forest, and sometimes in dense thickets, sheltering itself under a bush or tuft of dead leaves 

 on the surface of the ground, in which position it sits so close that it may be almost trodden upon before making any endeavor to escape ; 

 but, on taking wing, it flies with amazing swiftness and with a zig-zag motion, suddenly dropping into some near place of concealment. It 

 is said to breed in October. 



