137 



next was not seen there until May 4. In the meantime it bad been seen 

 at Emporia, Kans., April 27. 



Phalaenoptilus nuttalli nitidus Brewster. [ .] Frosted Poor-will. 



This handsome subspecies has been recently described by Mr. Win, 

 Brewster, from specimens taken on the Nueces River, in Texas (Auk. 

 Yol. IV, No. 2, April, 1887, pp. 147-148). 



419. Nyctidromus albicollis (Gimel.)- [356.] Parauquc. 



A tropical American species, coming north to the valley of the Lower 

 Rio Grande, in Texas, where it is a common summer resident (Senuett 

 & Merrill). 



420. Chordeiles virginianus (Gmel.). [357.] NighthaivJc. 



The Nighthawk winters south of the United States, and breeds 

 throughout most of the Mississippi Valley east of the Plains, but 

 principally in the northern portion, very few remaining in summer 

 south of the parallel of thirty-seven degrees. It is a common summer 

 resident in middle and eastern Kansas (Goss). 



In the spring of 1884 the earliest date received of the appearance of the 

 Nighthawk within our borders was April 20, when it was seen atWaverly, 

 Miss, (latitude 33° 34'). Since it arrived at Oak Point, Manitoba (lati- 

 tude 50° 30'), May 25, its average speed was very high, reaching 34 

 miles a day. A computation based on the same rate of speed indicates 

 that the species reached the Gulf coast of Mississippi about April 14. 

 The Nighthawk was recorded from latitude 39° in Missouri and Illinois 

 April 29 and 30, 'and May 3 from latitude 39° 27' and 40° OS' in Illi- 

 nois. May 6 and 8 it appeared in Illinois and Iowa, in the neighborhood 

 of latitude 41? 30', with a stray bird at latitude 43° 15', and also at 

 Manhattan, Kans. (latitude 39° 12'). May 12 and 13 found it at lati- 

 tude 43° 43' in Minnesota, and latitude 43° 06' in Wisconsin, and May 

 16 and 17 carried it over all the country south of latitude 54° 25'. 

 It reached Argusville, Dak. (latitude 47° 08'), May 23, and was noted 

 from Oak Point, Manitoba (latitude 50° 30'), May 2o. 



In the fall of 1884 the last Mghthawk was seen at Williamstown, 

 Iowa, August 26; at Des Moines, Iowa, September 15; at Mount Car- 

 mel, Mo., September 27. The bulk left Des Moines September 10, and 

 Mount Carmel September 21. While the advance of this species in 

 1884 was quite regular, in 1885 there were unexplainable idiosyncracies. 

 It reached the southern border of the United States the same day as in 

 1884, namely, April 14 (at Houma, La.). It was reported from San 

 Antonio, southern Texas, April 15; from Corinth, Miss., April 22; 

 Bonham, Tex., April 29; Saint Louis, Mo., April 30; and May 2, 3, 

 and 4 from Reeds and Mount Carmel-, Mo., Odin and Kockford, 111., 

 Keokuk, Iowa, and Ellsworth and Emporia, Kans. Thus far all the 

 notes were somewhat regular, but four notes were contributed which 

 certainly are extraordinary. They are: Grinnell, Iowa, first seen 



