TAWNY FEOGMOUTH. 
the English name of Wedge-tailed Goatsucker. Then followed a Podargus 
huTneralis with a long note of explanation. ‘ The birds of this gemis in the 
Society’s collection bear such a general resemblance to each other that we 
have felt some hesitation in describing them as different species. The careful 
examination of many individuals in their own country will alone determine 
with certainty whether they are distinct, or merely varieties of the same species 
from age or sex. With respect to the two foregoing species we have to observe 
that Dr. Latham, by the examination of other subjects, has been led to the same 
result as we have been by the comparison of the specimens in our collection ; 
and has described these birds respectively as the W edge-tailed and Cold Piver 
Goatsuckers. The chief differences between them are as follows : The 
Pod. stanleyanus is somewhat larger than the Pod. humeralis ; the colour of 
its plumage is more purely cinereous and brown, being almost without any 
mixture of tawny ; the external marks are more delicate, and the gape of the 
bill is wider. The Pod. humeralis is distinguished by bold black longitudinal 
streaks, some of which are of considerable breadth, which mark the upper 
parts ; by white dots or bands at or near the extreme points of the plumes of 
the head, forehead, neck, back, and adjoining parts of the wings ; by a decided 
admixture of tawny among its colours ; and by two strongly marked fulvous 
bands which cross the coverts of the wings. On the underside the transverse 
bands of the plumes, meeting the longitudinal streaks along the shafts at right 
angles, afford a somewhat regularly chequered marking, which appears peculiar 
to this latter bird.” 
Then they added Podargus cuvieri, writing : “ This bird also exhibits so 
general a resemblance to the preceding species that we should at once have 
referred to it as a variety, were it not that it differs in its geographical 
situation as well as in some minuter characters. It is a native of Van 
Diemen’s Land, where it was met with by Mr. Caley, while the other species 
is found in New South Wales. That gentleman noted also that the irides 
of the present bird were brown, while those of Pod. humeralis were yellow. 
The chief difference in their plumage is as follows : The longitudinal streaks 
on the head of Pod. humeralis are bold and broad, diffusing a strong black 
shade over the head; those of Pod. cuvieri are slender and more\^distant 
from each other, and leave the fuscous-brown of the head predominant. The 
Pod. cuvieri wants the fulvous fascia on the shoulder, and the fascice on the 
tail are not so strongly marked as in Pod. humeralis. The bill also of the Van 
Diemen’s Land bird is somewhat shorter than the biU of the other. We have 
seen a few other specimens of Pod. cuvieri which came from the same locality 
as our specimen ; as also some other birds of the New South Wales species ; 
and those leading marks of distinction stated above seemed constant 
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