CAPEIMULGUS. 383 



of Antrostomus, and this separation has been almost universally adopted by subsequent 

 Avriters. Mr. Hartert, however, failing to find characters whereby to separate Antro- 

 stomus from Caprimulgus, united them in his Catalogue under the latter name ; in so 

 doing, he followed up the hint thrown out by Mr. Sclater in his " Notes on American 

 Caprimulgidse." 



The tarsus in Caprimulgus, as in the three following genera, is more or less feathered 

 in front, and is shorter than the middle toe including its claw ; the tail is rounded ; the 

 head unadorned with ear-like tufts, but with distinct longitudinal markings. 



Of the forty-three species constituting the genus only seven occur within our limits. 

 Two of these, C. carolinensis and C. vodferus, pass some way into North America ; one, 

 C. macromystax, occurs on the frontier and throughout Mexico and Guatemala ; one, 

 C. saturatus, is restricted to Costa Eica and Panama ; one, C. yucatanicus, to Yucatan ; 

 and one, C. salvini, to Mexico ; the seventh is C. rufus, a southern species occurring as 

 far north as Panama. 



The patterns of the plumage of all the Caprimulgidse are very intricate, so much so 

 that specific differences of coloration, though apparent to the eye, are not easily 

 described in words. To render the Mexican and Central- American species more readily 

 distinguished the following key may serve : — 



A. Alse, primariis in ambobus pogoniis maculatis. 



a. Rectrices tres externse macula magna, supra alba, infra isabellina. 



a'. Setse rictales filamentis lateralibus instructse 1. carolinensis. 



V. Setse rictales simplices 2. rufus. 



b. Rectrices tres externse macula magna, supra et subtus alba. 



c'. Maculae caudales magnse. 



a". Rectrices externse rotundatae, maculae albae extrorsum 

 decrescentes. 

 a'". Maculae caudales majores, caput summum in 



medio longitudinaliter striatum 3. vodferus. 



V". Maculae caudales minores, caput summum undique 



maculatum 4. macromystax. 



W. Rectrices externae majus acutae, maculae albae extrorsum 



increscentes S* salmm. 



d'. Macuke caudales minutae, angustae 6. yucatanicus. 



B. Alae, primariis in pogonio interne unicoloribus, in pogonio extemo 



tantum maculatis 7. saturatus. 



1. Gaprimulgiis carolinensis. 



Ca^mulgus caroUnensis, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 1028 ' ; Wils. Am. Om. v. p. 95, t. 54. f. 20 » ; Haitert, 



Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 565 '. 

 Antrostomus carolinensis, Salv. Ibis, 1866, p. 195*; P. Z. S. 1870, p. 203 = ; Law. Ann. Lye. 



N. Y. ix. p. 120 " ; v. Frantzius, J. f. Om. 1869, p. 314' ; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. 



