Texan Night-Hawk 247 
sunny days, though it is more commonly noticed 
at dusk. They are birds of graceful and swift flight, 
delighting in swift turns and zigzags when in pursuit 
of insects, of which they must destroy enormous 
numbers. 
They are to be found chiefly in prairie country, and 
in the open bare parts of the mountains. They are 
social in their habits, and are often seen together in 
considerable numbers. They alight on _ horizontal 
branches of trees or fence-rails, and sit lengthways; but 
except when nesting, do not often squat on bare ground, 
according to Bendire. 
The eggs, laid on the bare ground, are two in number, 
and laid on alternate days. In shape slightly ovate 
or oval, and in colour creamy-white or grey profusely 
blotched with slaty or smoky-drab or lavender, they 
vary very considerably. They average 1:18 x ‘85. 
Gale found fresh eggs from June 20th to July 10th in 
Boulder co., and Dille gives June 19th as an average 
date. Warren secured eggs near Crested Butte on July 
9th. Henderson states they sometimes lay their eggs 
on the flat roofs of business houses in Denver. 
Texan Night-Hawk. Chordeiles acutipennis texensis. 
A.O.U. Checklist no 421. 
Description.—Rather smaller than C. v. henryi and less tawny, more 
greyish in tone; at once distinguished by the white patches on the 
primaries, which are confined to the outer four, and are placed distinctly 
nearer the tip than the base of the wing ; below with a white throat- 
patch and abdomen barred buffy and dusky, but with no black on the 
chest ; primaries slightly spotted with tawny below the white patches. 
Length 8-0; wing 6-6; tail 3-5; culmen -2; tarsus -45. 
The female has the wing-patches pale tawny, and the white tail band 
restricted or wanting. 
Distribution.—South-west United States from western Texas to 
southern California, Nevada and Utah; in winter, south so far as 
Veragua in Columbia. 
