Plate XX. 



NYCTIBIITS BRACTEATITS. 





Nyctibius bracteatus 



Nyctibius rufus 



(SPANGLED NIGHT-BIKD), 



Gould, P.Z.S. 1846, p. 1. 



Cassin, Cat. Capr. et Proc. Acad. Phil. 1851, p. 184. 



Sclater, P.Z.S. 1866, pp. 130, 585. 



Cab. in Schomb. Guian. iii. p. 711 (1848). 



Sclater, P.Z.S. 1866, p. 130. 



Laete rufus, plumis minutissime nigro variegatis, scapularibus et secundariis alarum necnon ventre toto cum crisso 

 maculis albis quadratia terminalibus ornatis, bis maculis, prascipue in scapularibus et ventre, nigro supra et subtus 

 marginatis: remigibus alarum fusco-nigris extus rufescentibus ; cauda ls&te rufa nigro transfasciata : alis subtus 

 nigricantibus : long, tota 9*0, alse 64, caudse 5*0. 



Hob. in Guiana Britannica et valle Amazon. 



In the Planches Enluminees, Buffon gives a very poor figure of a Caprimulgine bird from 

 Cayenne, under the name " Crapaud volant ou Tette-chevre de Cayenne"* and describes the 

 same species in his " Histoire*Naturelle" as L Engoulevent roux, de Cayenne.' 1 ^ Dr. Cabanis, 

 when characterizing the present species of Nyctibius, in the third volume of Schomburgk's 

 " Guiana," seems to think that it may possibly be the same as that described and figured by 

 Buffon. Dr. Cabanis accordingly names this bird Nyctibius rufus, the Gaprimulgus rufus of 

 Boddaert and Gmelin, having been founded on Buffbn's description and figure. In this we 

 cannot agree with him, as if Buffon's bird is to be associated with any known species we should 

 rather be inclined to follow Mr. Cassin in considering it to represent the Antrostomus rutilus 

 of Burmeister, than the present Nyctibius.\ 



Such being the case, Dr. Cabanis' name for this bird must give way to Mr. Gould's term 

 bracteatus, under which it is described in the " Proceedings" of the Zoological Society for 1846, 

 from a specimen then in the Museum of the Eoyal Institution of Liverpool. This specimen was 

 subsequently parted with to Mr. Wilson, and is now, we believe, in the collection of the Academy 

 of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. 



Our figure of this bird is taken from the type of Nyctibius rufus, in the Eoyal Zoological 

 Museum of Berlin, our friend, Dr. William Peters, Director of that Institution, having, with his 

 accustomed liberality, sent it over to us for the purpose. 



* PI. Enl. 735. f Vol. vi. p. 581. 



% See Mr. Sclater's remarks on this subject, P.Z.S. 1866, p. 3.36, et p. 585. 



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