EUROSTOPODUS 
ALBOGULARIS. 
White-throated Goat-sucker. 
Caprimulgus albogularis, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 194, note. 
mystacalis, Temm. PI. Col. 410. 
During my visit to Australia I had opportunities of observing a number of this species ; it is still, however, 
a rare bird in all our collections, and how far it may range over the Australian continent is not known ; the 
south-eastern are the only portions in which it has yet been discovered ; and although all the specimens I 
have seen in collections were procured at Moreton Bay, I have killed three or four of an evening on the 
cleared lands on the Upper Hunter, which shows that it is far from being a scarce bird in that part of New 
South Wales. In all probability it is only a summer visitant in the colony, as it was at this season only that 
I observed it. In the daytime it sleeps on the ground on some dry knoll or open part of the forest, and as 
twilight approaches sallies forth to the open glades and small plains or cleared lands in search of insects ; 
its flight, which is much more powerful than that of any other Goatsucker I have seen, enabling it to pass 
through the air with great rapidity, and to mount up and dart down almost at right angles whenever an 
insect comes within the range of its eye, which is so large and full that its powers of vision must be very 
great. Most of those I shot were gorged with insects, principally coleoptera and locusts, some of which 
were entire and so large as to excite surprise how they could be swallowed ; in several instances they were 
so perfect, that I preserved them as specimens for my entomological collection. 
Of its nidification I have no information to furnish ; it doubtless, however, breeds on the ground, and 
judging from analogy its eggs will be found to be either one or two in number, and in form and colour 
partaking of the character of those of Caprimulgus, and not of those of Podargus and JEgotheles. 
Contrary to what might have been expected, I found that although the sexes are nearly alike in colour, the 
females always exceed the males in size and in the brilliance of the tints ; the males, on the other hand, have 
the two white spots on the third and fourth primaries more conspicuous than in the female. 
All the upper surface very minutely freckled grey and brown ; the feathers on the crown of the head and 
at the occiput with a large patch of black down the centre ; behind the ear-coverts a patch of dark brown 
sprinkled with brownish buff ; from the angle of the mouth passing round the back of the neck an indistinct 
collar of intermingled buff, chestnut and black ; scapularies variegated with dark brown on their outer 
webs and margined with bright fulvous ; wing dark brown variegated with fulvous and grey ; secondaries 
dark brown, with a regular series of bright fulvous spots along each web ; primaries blackish brown, the two 
first without any spot, the remainder spotted like the secondaries, the third having a spot of white on its inner 
and outer web about the centre of tbe feather, the fourth with a large white spot on its outer web ; two 
centre and outer webs of the remaining tail-feathers dark brown, marbled with irregular bars of grey ; the 
inner webs of the lateral feathers dark brown, crossed with irregular bands of light buff ; throat blackish 
brown, spotted with bright buff ; on each side of the throat a large oval spot of white ; breast dark brown, 
spotted above with dull buff, and broadly freckled with dull buff and grey ; abdomen and under tail-coverts 
bright fulvous, crossed with bars of dark brown ; irides dark brown ; feet mealy reddish brown. 
The Plate represents a female of the natural size. 
