PENNANT-WINGED NIGHT-JAR. 63 
from all its congeners, but also from all others of the 
feathered creation ; there does not, in fact, exist in 
the whole circle of ornithology, any bird whose struc- 
ture is even analogous to that now before us. 
The enormously long feathers, of which one is on 
each wing, do not properly belong to the principal 
quills, as it has generally been supposed, for, — upon 
attentively examining a fine adult male, now upon 
our table — we find that it is inserted immediately 
between the primary and secondary quills ; the 
former consisting of the usual number (eight) pos- 
sessed by the ordinary Night-jars, and even by the 
female of this species, which is entirely destitute of 
these supplementary feathers. Now, this is a very 
important fact, for it goes far to prove that they are 
not essential to the economy of the species, for if 
otherwise, both sexes would possess them, unless 
it be contended, a supposition highly improbable, 
that the male feeds in one manner and the female 
in another. In the absence of all information upon 
this point, we are led to conclude that they are 
more ornamental than useful; given to the male 
sex as attractive decorations to the female, in a 
similar manner as the flowing feathers of the para- 
dise birds are known to distinguish the male sex. 
"Whether, or no, these ornamental plumes are lost 
after the season of incubation, is a subject for future 
inquiry, but they are certainly of very unequal 
lengths in different individuals. "We have seen 
them, in one bird, only seven inches long, while in 
that now before us, they measure, in extreme length, 
