346 
BIRDS OF NEW MEXICO 
posterior lower parts more buffy, tail without white band. Young in juvenal plu¬ 
mage: Ground color of upperparts brownish, light markings buffy and numerous. 
Range. —Pacific coast district eastward to Rocky Mountains. Breeding from 
northwestern Washington, southeastern British Columbia, southern Alberta, and 
southwestern Saskatchewan, central Montana, and northeastern Wyoming south to 
Utah, Nevada, and southern California; migrating through Colorado, New Mexico, 
Texas, Arizona, and Mexico to Nicaragua. 
State Records. —Breeding from the Pacific east to central Montana and migrat¬ 
ing through Mexico to its winter home in South America, it would be strange if the 
Pacific Nighthawk did not often cross New Mexico, spring and fall. Yet the only 
record so far known is that of one taken August 3, 1904, at Tres Piedras (Gaut).— 
W. W. Cooke. 
Food. —One stomach shows an interesting collection of injurious insects—21 
wood-boring beetles, 3 click beetles, 3 curculios, 1 grasshopper, 16 moths, and 5 stink 
bugs. The throat and gullet of one taken contained forty-three large winged white 
ants. 
Additional Literature.—Ray, M. S., Condor, XIV, 14, 1912 (eggs). 
HOWELL NIGHTHAWK: Chordefles minor howelli Oberholser 
Description. — Male: Length about 9.2-9.5 inches, wing T.6-8.3, tail 4.1-4.7, 
bill .5^.6, tarsus .5-.6, middle toe .5-.6. Adult male (type): Upperparts brown , 
greatly spotted, mottled, and irregularly barred with brownish white, buff , and 
ochraceous; tail crossed by about seven irregular bars, all but middle feathers with 
subterminal white band; sides of head and neck dark brown, chin white, washed with 
buff, finely streaked and somewhat spotted, throat crescent pure white, bordered by 
brown heavily spotted with tawny; rest of underparts whitish, barred with brown, 
most thickly on lower breast; iris dark brown, bill black, feet gray. Adult female: 
Similar to male but usually more brownish and more mottled with ochraceous above, 
and more buffy below. 
Comparisons. —The male howelli differs from henryi (p. 342), in lighter upper- 
parts—more brownish, less blackish—the light markings finer and usually less deeply 
tawny or ochraceous; its lighter under parts less rufeseent anteriorly and less deeply 
buffy, posteriorly. From hesperis (p. 345), it differs in having paler upperparts 
with more numerous light mottlings, and paler and more narrowly barred under¬ 
parts. The female howelli differs from the female henryi in having lighter, more 
rufeseent (less blackish) upperparts with paler, usually finer and more numerous 
markings, and by lighter throat and posterior underparts. The first autumn plu¬ 
mage resembles that of hesperis (p. 345), but is very much lighter above.* 
Range. —More southern portion of Great Plains and central Rocky Mountain 
districts of United States. Breeds from Wyoming and western Nebraska south to 
central Texas, northeastern New Mexico, and central Utah; migrates to eastern 
Nicaragua. 
State Records. —Specimens have been examined by Oberholser from Socorro 
(August 15, 1909, E. A. Goldman); Cuervo (June 13, 1903, V. Bailey); Cantonment 
Burgwyn (September 2, 1859); Sierra Grande (August 17, 1903). 
TEXAS NIGHTHAWK: Chordefles acutipennis texensis Lawrence 
Description. — Male: Length S.2-9.3 inches, wing 6.8-7.5, tail 4.1-4.2, bill .4-.5, 
tarsus .5-.6, middle toe .5-.6. Adult male: Upperparts light brownish gray, more or 
less tinged with buff, and mottled, vermieulated, and irregularly barred with brown- 
