Plate XX. 



NYCTIBIUS BRACTKATUS. 



(SPANGLED NIGHT-BIED). 



Nyotibiug bracteatus . . . Gould, P.Z.S. 1846, p. 1. , . o - 



. . Cassin, Cat. Capr. et Proc. Acad. Ptil. 1851, p. 184. 



. Sclater, P.Z.S. 1866, pp. 130, 585. 



Nyctibius rufus . . . Cab. in Schomb. Guian. iii. p. 711, (1848.) 



. Sclater, P.Z.S. 1866, p. 130. 



Lsete rufus, plumia minutissime nigro variegatis, scapularibus et secundariis alarum necnon ventre toto cum erisso 

 maculis albis quadratis terminalibus ornatis, his maculis, prsecipue in scapularibus et ventre, nigro supra et subtus 

 ma;rgiuatis : remigibus' alarum fusco-nigris extiis rufescentibus ; cauda Itete rufa nigro transfasciat^ : alis subtus 

 nigricantibus : long, tota 9'0, alse 6 '4, caudse 5'0. 



Sab. in Guiana Britannica et valle Amazon. 



In tlie Planches Enlmninees, Buffon gives a very poor figure of a Caprimulgine bird from 

 Cayenne, under tlie name " Crapaud volant on Tette-chevre de Cayenne"* and describes tlie 

 saiue species in bis " Histoire Natm-elle" as L' Engoulevent roux, de Cayenne."'\ Dr. Cabanis, 

 wben cbaracterizing tbe present species of Nyctibius., in the third volume of Scbomburgk's 

 " Guiana," seems to tbink tbat it may possibly be tbe same as that described and figured by 

 Buffon. Dr. Cabanis accordingly names this bird Nyctihius riifus^ tbe Ca'primidgus rufus of 

 Boddaert and Gmelin, having been founded on Buffon's description and figure. In this we 

 cannot agree with him, as if Buffon's bird is to be associated with any known species we should 

 rather be inclined to follow Mr. Cassin in considering it to represent the Antrostomus rutilus 

 of Burmeister, than the present Nyctihius.\ 



Such being the case, Dr. Cabanis' name for this bird must give way to Mr. Gould's term 

 hracteatits^ under which it is described ni the " Proceedings" of the Zoological Society for 1846, 

 fi'om a specimen then in the Museum of the Royal Institution of Liverpool. This specimen was 

 subsequently parted with to Mr. Wilson, and is now, we believe, in the collection of the Academy 

 of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. 



Om- figure of this bird is taken fr'om the type of Nyctibms rufus, in the Royal Zoological 

 Museum of Berlin, our friend. Dr. William Peters, Director of that Institution, having, with his 

 accustomed liberality, sent it over to us for the pm-pose. 



* PI. Enl. 735. t ^o^- "^'i- P- 581. 



t See Mr. Sclater's remarks on this subject, P.Z.S. 1866, p. 136, et p. 585. 



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