THE NIGHT-HAWK. 163 



whole breadth of the next four quills; tail-feathers barred with brownish- 

 grey, the four outer on each side plain brownish-black towards the end, with 

 a large white spot; sides of the head and fore neck mottled like the back; a 

 broad white band, in the form of the letter V reversed, on the throat and 

 sides of the neck; the rest of the lower parts greyish-white, transversely 

 undulated with dark brown. Female similar, with the dark parts more 

 brown, the white more tinged with red, the band on the throat brownish- 

 white, and the white spots on the tail-feathers wanting. 

 Male, H, 231 Female, 9f, 23§. 



FAMILY V. CYPSELINiE. SWIFTS. 



Mouth opening to beneath the hind part of the eyes; bill extremely short, 

 very broad at the base, compressed at the end; upper mandible decurved at 

 the point, the edge inflected, with an indistinct sinus. Nostrils basal, approxi- 

 mate, oblong. Head large and depressed; neck short; body rather slender. 

 Feet extremely short; tarsus rounded, destitute of scutella; toes extremely 

 short, the three anterior nearly equal; hind toe very small, and versatile; 

 claws strong, compressed, arched, very acute. Plumage compact; no bristles 

 at the base of the upper mandible; wings extremely elongated, falciform, the 

 first quill longest; tail of ten feathers. (Esophagus of moderate width, with- 

 out crop; stomach oblong, moderately muscular, with a dense rugous epithe- 

 lium; intestine short, and rather wide; no coeca. No inferior laryngeal 

 muscles. Nest in crevices or holes, or attached to high places. Eggs elon- 

 gated, white. 



Genus L— CILETURA, Stephens. SPINE-TAIL. 



All the characters as above. Tarsus bare, longer than the middle toe, 

 which scarcely exceeds the outer. Tail short, even, the shafts very strong, 

 and prolonged into acuminate points. 



