64 PENNANT- WINGED NIGHT-JAR. 
seventeen inches; the wehs occupy exactly sir, 
while all the rest of the shaft is naked, the rudi- 
mentary hairs on each side merely indicating the 
position of the lamina", had they been developed ; 
we cannot subscribe to an opinion we have heard ex- 
pressed, that these latter have been rubbed or worn 
off. Another specimen, which wo suppose is the 
female, is perfect in all its plumage, but has no in- 
dication, as already observed, of these feathers. In 
their texture they are remarkably flexible, moving 
about with the least breath of wind : the inner web 
is so broad, that the lamina in the middle measure 
two inches and a half ; the outer web, on the con- 
trary, is very narrow, and the longest lamina are 
hardly half an inch. 
We may now proceed to a short description of the 
plumage, which does not, in other respects, mate- 
rially differ from the rest of its congeners. The wings, 
for the small size of the bird, are very long, and 
rather exceed, or are at least equal to, the tips of 
the tail; this latter, also, is perfectly even, and 
consists of ten feathers. Of the three first quill- 
feathers of the wing, which are by much the longest, 
the first is shorter than the third, which is slightly 
succeeded by the second. The bristles of the mouth 
are strong and equal to the length of the bill, which 
is weak; the middle toe is lengthened, and the 
lateral toes are equal. 
The plumage is of the same general mixture as 
all the others of the family, which it is impossible to 
describe with successful discrimination. We shall, 
