MOMOTUS. 6i)o 



Edindlinifal Riouit'. Xorili Brazil. 



Habits. Mr. J. J. Qiielch, who met witli the species on the 

 Upper Berbice Eiver, remarks (Timehri (2) iv. p. 32U) : — '' At 

 Coomacka in the early morning, the oft-repeated cry of the beau- 

 tiful Hootoo (^Momota brasiliensis ) had been heard close by in the 

 belt of forest on the high land adjoining the savannah, but no 

 attempt had been made to get specimens nnder the idea that the 

 ])irds would be met with more advantageously further np : but. as 

 it happened, we had no further chance of pro-.-uring them later on." 



Family CAPRniULGlD.E. 



The Goatsuckers — or Xightjars, as they are usually called- — are 

 peculiar by (heir soft and sombre-coloured plumage, as well as by 

 the different forms they di::.})lay. some having long streamers 

 or spatulate feathers in the wings, while others have similar 

 ornamental plumes in their tails. 



The bills are broad, depressed, very wiJe at the gape, and 

 stronglv furnished Avith rictal bristles. The winos are usual! v 

 rounded. The tails, which vary in some genera, are, for the most 

 part, square or slightly rounded and the feathers ten in number. 

 The feet are very small, and the claw on the middle toe is usually 

 pectinated. 



The family is distributed almost entirely throughout the tropical, 

 suijtropical, and temperate regions of the world. Twelve genera 

 and forty-eight species occur in South America, of which ten 

 genera and sixteen species are represented in British Guiana. 



Mr. J.J. Quelch gives the following notes on the CaprimulgidtB 

 (Timehri (2) ii. p. 37G) : — "In the l)ush here at AVhieoon the 

 Goatsuckers (Oaprimulgidpe) kept up an ajiparently ceaseless cry. 

 All through the night whenever I woke the plaintive cries 

 sounded, ' work, work, work to hell,' in u deep guttural tone, 

 while 'whip, whip, whip ]»oor Will' came as a sort of shrill 

 refrain, whether from the same kind oE bird but of a different sex, 

 or from a different species it was impossible to tell. Mingled 

 with these was the continual query, ' who are you ?' uttered at 

 times so close and loud that it seemed lik(j a rude challenge of 

 one's presence ; while again, so low, that it came like a fearful 

 whisper. It was out of the question, under the circunTitances, to 



J A 



