XTCTIBIUS. 399 



1. Nyctibius jamaicensis. 



Wood-Owle, Sloane, Nat. Hist. Jamaica, ii. p. 295 (1725) '. 



Cyprimulgus jamaicensis, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 1029 \ 



Nyctibius jamaicensis, Gosse, Birds Jamaica, p. 41'; lU. t. 6^; Salv. Ibis, 1866, p. 194'; 1889, 



p. 368 %• P. Z. S. 1870, p. 203 %• Lawr. Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 32'*; Ridgv7. Pr. 



U. S. Nat. Mus. iv. p. 336'; Herrera, La Nat. (2) i. p. 322"; Hartert, Cat. Birds Brit. 



Mus. xvi. p. 625 ". 

 Caprimulgus cornutus, YieiU. N. Diet. d'Hist. N. p. 245". 

 Nyctibius cornutus, Cab. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 314 (note) ''. 

 Nyctibius pectoralis, Gould, Icon. Av. ii. t. 8 ". 



Supra griseus, albo irroratus ; plumis omnibus rhachidibus nigris, capite summo et humeris nigris; tectricibus 

 alarum minoiibus rufesoente tinctis : subtus griseus, albo irroratus ; rhachidibus omnibus anguste nigris, 

 pectore maculis distinctis nigris ornato ; alis nigricantibus, fasciis maculosis indistinctis notalis, subalaribus 

 nigris albo guttatis ; cauda nigra, profuse griseo marmorata, fasciis vix distinctis notata. Long, tota 

 circa 16-0, alae 12-0, caudae S-1, tarsi 0-5, dig. med. cum ungue 1-3. (Descr. maris ex Presidio de 

 Mazatlan, Mexico. Mus. nostr.) 



Ilab. Mexico, Presidio de Mazatlan [Forrer ii), Valley of Mexico {Herrera lO), Jalapa 

 {Edge), Mirador {U. S. Xat. Mus.), La Antigua in Vera Cruz (M. Triijillo), Teapa 

 in Tabasco {Mrs. H. H. Smith), Santa Efigenia, Tehuantepec {Sumichrast ^) ; 

 Guatemala {Mus. Berol. i^), near the city {Constancia ^), Vera Paz (J. Rodriguez), 

 Tactic {Sarg)\ Honduras, Ruatan I. {G. F. Gaumer'^); Costa Eica, Sarchi {U. S. 

 Nat. Mus.^); Paxama, Volcan de Chiriqui {Arce''), Lion Hill {M^Leannan). — 

 South Ameeica, from Colombia to Guiana, Brazil, and Paraguay i^. Jamaica ^ ^. 



There is much difference both in colour and size between individuals of this species, 

 some specimens being greyer, others more rnfescent. Mr. Hartert is disposed to 

 divide it into a large northern and a small southern race, the latter being Gould's 

 N. pectoralis ^* ; but as gradations are clearly indicated, and the range probably 

 uninterrupted, such a division seems hardly necessary or possible. 



This Kyctibius has been long known, having been mentioned by Sloane, in his 

 ' Natural History of Jamaica,' as a " Wood-Owle " ^, and, being thus associated with 

 the Island of Jamaica, received from Gmelin the name of Caprimulgus jamaicensis '-. 

 Though not found in any other island of the Antilles, it is by no means confined to 

 Jamaica, but enjoys a very wide range over Tropical America, at least as far south as 

 Bahia in Brazil ^i. Northwards it occurs sparingly over the whole of Central America 

 and Mexico, as far as Mazatlan on the west and the State of Vera Cruz on the east. 

 Herrera says ^^ that in the Valley of Mexico it is migratory, and when residing in that 

 district it frequents the large pine-trees, where it is with difficulty detected. In Guate- 

 mala we neA^er met with it ourselves, but there is a specimen from that country in the 

 Berlin Museum ^^ ; the late Don Vicente Constancia, of Antigua Guatemala, had two. 

 specimens, one of which passed into our possession S; another, which was in the 



* According to v. Frantzius (J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 314) the bird called by Lawrence with doubt Nyctibius 

 jamaicensis from S. Jose de Costa Eica (Ann. Lye. If. T. ix. p. 120) was a young PTiaromacrus mocinno. 



