382 BIRDS — CAPEIMUIiGID^. 



ORDER PICARIiE. PICARIAN BIRDS. 



SuB-ORDEE Ctpseli. Cypseliform Birds. 

 FAMILY CAPRIMULGIDiE. GOATSUCKERS. 



Feet semipalmate, the anterior toes connected at base by movable webbing. Hind toe 

 very small, elevated, eemilateral. Middle toe produced, its large claw pectinate. Bill 

 fissirostral, with very small, triangular, depressed horny part and immense rictus, reach- 

 ing below the eyes, furnished with bristles. Bather large Plumage soft and lax, much 

 variegated. 



Sub-family CAPRIMULGIN^. True Goatsuckers. 



Outer toe with four phalanges only. Sternum with one pair of shallow posterior fis- 

 sures. 



Genus ANTEOSTOMUS. Gould. 



Nostrils tubular ; gape with long stiff bristles reaching beyond the bill. Wings 

 slightly rounded, primaries emarginate ; tailed rounded. 



Antrostomus vociferus (Wils.) Bonap. 



■VVliippoor-will ; DVight Jar. 

 Caprimulgus vodferus, Kirtlaud, Ohio Geolog. Surv., 1836, 162, 180. — Read, Proc. Phila, 



Acad. Nat. Soi., vi,, 1853, 395. 

 Antrostomus vociferus, Kirkpatrick, Ohio Parmer, viii, 1859, 195. — Wheatok, Ohio 



Agrio. Eep. for 1860, 1861, 362, 373 ; Eeprint, 4, 15 ; Food of Birds, etc., Ohio Agrio. 



Eep. for 1874, 1875, 568 ; Reprint, 8,— Langdon, Cat. Birds of Cin., 1877, 10 ; Eevised 



List, Jonrn. Cin. Soc. Nat. Hist., i, 1879, 178 ; Eeprint, 12. 

 Whippoorwill, Wheaton, Field Notes, i, 1861, 92. 



Caprimulflus vociferaa, Wilson, Am. Orn., v,, 1812, 71. 

 Antrostomus vociferus, Bonaparte, List, 1838, 8. 



Habitat, Eastern United States and British Provinces. North to about 50°. West to 

 the Plains. South through portions of Mexico to Guatemala. 



Common summer resident in some localities, rare or absent in others. 

 In the immediate vicinity of Columbus the Whippoorwill is quite rare. 

 I have never heard its note, and have seen but two specimens. These 

 were found in low woods in May, and were evidently on their spring mi- 

 gration. Ten miles west of this city at Georgesville and West Jefferson 

 they are rather common, and breed. In Eastern and Southeastern Ohio 

 they are more numerous. Mr. Langdon gives it as uncommon in the 

 vicinity of Cincinnati. During the breeding season they seem to prefer 

 the more hilly portions of the State, and I am of the opinion that the 

 geological structure determines their distribution at this time, as is per- 



