NTCTIBIUS. CHORODEILES. 357 



231. Nyctibius grandis. 



Great Goatsicker. 



Caprimitlgus ffvaudis Gmel. Svst. Xat. i. p. 1029, 17S9 (Cayenne). 

 2('i/cfihius grandis Cab. in Schomb. Eeis. Guian. iii. p. 711, 1848 ; 



Salvin, Ibis, 1885, p. 437 (Camacusa) ; Hartert. Cat. B. Brit. Mus. 



xri. p. 62S, 1892 ; Braboume & Chubb. B. S. Amer. i. p. 98, no. 925, 



1912. 



Adult male. General colour above brown, composed o£ fine 

 frecklings and niottlino;s of white and rufous brown: bastard- 

 wing, primary- coverts, and quills more uniform blackish brow n and 

 more coarsely mottled : tail also more coarsely marked than the 

 back ; under surface similar in colour, inclining to more white on 

 the abdomen and under tail-coverts : under wiug-coverts blackish 

 dotted with white. 



Total length 520 mm., culmen 27, wing 3G0, tail 230, tarsus 10. 



The male fiom which the description is taken was collected on 

 the Demerara Biver. 



We have not been able to see a female of this species, so that 

 we cannot say what the differences between the sexes are. 



JBreedina-season. Unknown in British Guiana. 



Ji^est. Unrecorded in British Guiana. 



Knos. Undescribed from British Guiiina. 



Range in British Guiana. Ituribisi River. Kamakabra River, 

 Demerara River above the Great Falls (McConnell collection) \ 

 Kamakusa (ir/uVt'/j/). 



Extralimital Range. Yenezuelaj <.'olombia, Ecuador, Pern, 

 Brazil. 



Habits. Scliomburgk states (Reis. Gruian. iii. p. 711) that he 

 did not meet with this s[)ecies but saw a n)ounted specimen in a 

 collection belonging to Dr. Bonyuii, who informed him that it was 

 shot near Georgetown. 



Genus CHORDEILES Swains. 



Chordeiles Swainson, Faun. Bur. Amer. ii. p. 490, 1832. Tyi>e 

 C. virginianus (Gmel.). 



In this genus the bill is extremely small and weak ami the 

 rictal bri?tles are scarcely visible. The wings are long, reaching 

 nearlv to the tip of the tail, and pointed. The tail is rather long 

 and >li'rhtlv emar^rinate. 



