396 CAPEIMULGID^. 



1. Chordeiles virginianus. 



Le Tette-chevre de Virginie, Briss. Orn. ii. p. 477 \ 



Caprimulgus virginianus, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 1028 ^. 



Chordeiles virginianus, Sw. Faun. Bor.-Am. ii. p. 496'; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 275*; P. Z. S. 



1864, p. 364'; Scl. P. Z. S. 1866, p. 133'; Hartert, Cat. Birds Brit, Mus. xvi. p. 610'. 

 Caprimulgus popetue, Vieill. Ois. Am. Sept. i. p. 56, t. 24". 



Chordeiles popetue, Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p, 203 " ; Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. Birds, ii. p. 401 ">. 

 Chordeiles henryi, Cassin, 111. Birds Cal. & Texas, p. 239''; Scl. P. Z. S. 1866, p. 133'^; Hartert, 



Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 612". 

 Chordeiles popetue, var. henryi, Baird, Brew., & Ridgw. N. Am. Birds, ii. p. 404". 

 Chordeiles sennetti, Coues, Auk, 1888, p. 37 ". 



Supra nigricans plus minusve albo et t'lilvo maoulatus, humeris nigris, tectrioibus alarum reliquis albo guttulatis, 

 primariis nigris pennis quinque externis plaga magna ad medium alba, secundariis albo indistiucte 

 fasciatis : subtus guise lateribus nigris fulvo maculatis, gutture plaga magna transversa alba usque ad 

 mentum extendente, pectore nigricante fulvo guttato, abdomine nigro et albido regulariter transfasciato ; 

 tectricibua subcaudalibus albis nigro sparsim transfasciatis ; cauda nigricante indistiucte griseo fasciata, 

 rectricibus omnibus (duabus mediis exceptis) fascia subterminali alba. Long, tota circa 9'5, alae 8-0, 

 caudsB rectr. med. 3-85, rectr. lat. 4'5, tarsi 0'65, dig. med. cum ungue 0'8. (Descr. maris ex Sau 

 Agustin, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) 



$ mari similis, sed subtus rufescentior, fascia cauda subterminali alba nulla. 

 Juv. supra niger rufo dense variegatus : subtus (cauda inclusa) undique nigro et rnfo regulariter transfasciatus. 



Hob. NoKTH America ^, generally in summer from Hudson's Bay southwards, Texas. — 

 Mexico, San Agustin, Vaqueria in Nuevo Leon {F. B. Armstrong), Xeres in 

 Zacatecas {W. B. Richardson ^^), Atotonilco {F. Ferrari-Perez); Beitish Hon- 

 DUEAS, Southern Pine-ridge [F. Blancaneaux ^^) ; Guatemala, Coban {0. S. & 

 F. B. GA), La Grande {F. Oates); Panama, Calovevora {Arce^), Lion Hill 

 [M'-Leannan ^). — South Ameeica, Colombia, Amazons Valley ; Bahama Is. ; 

 Greatee Antilles. 



Though some specimens from our north-eastern frontier are paler than the more 

 typical form, and whiter on the abdomen and under tail-coverts, we are quite unable to 

 separate them from the darker birds, which are no doubt typical Chordeiles virginianus, 

 the paler ones being C. henryi. So far as we can see, and we have examined a large 

 series of skins, any attempt to arrange the series in more than one group must leave a 

 considerable number undetermined as equally referable to one form or the other. A 

 still larger series cannot fail to render any separation more difficult. We should have 

 preferred to keep C. henryi separate, and used the name for the pale bird of our northern 

 frontier, but with these birds we find others of the darker type and all associating 

 together towards the end of May in their breeding-season. 



Dr. Coues ^^ has separated C. virginianus into four subspecies, making two of the 

 so-called light-coloured western form. Mr. Hartert, in his recent Catalogue of the 

 Caprimulgidse, kept C. virginianus and C. henryi as subspecies, and made a section of 

 the former to include specimens supposed to blend the two together. This is certainly 



