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each side of the neck; the bill is exceeding small, scarcely one-
eighth of an inch in length, and of a black colour; the nostrils
circular, and surrounded with a prominent rim; eye large and
full, of a deep bluish black; the legs are short, feathered a little
below the knees, and, as well as the toes, of a purplish flesh
colour, seamed with white; the middle claw is pectinated on its
inner edge, to serve as a comb to clear the bird of vermin; the
whole lower parts of the body are marked with transverse lines
of dusky and yellowish. The tail is somewhat shorter than
the wings when shut, is handsomely forked, and consists of
ten broad feathers; the mouth is extremely large, and of a red-
dish flesh colour within; there are no bristles about the bill;
the tongue is very small, and attached to the inner surface of
the mouth.
  The female measures about nine inches in length and twenty-
two in breadth; differs in having no white band on the tail, but
has the spot of white on the wing; wants the triangular spot of
white on the throat, instead of which there is a dully defined
mark of a reddish cream colour; the wings are nearly black, all
the quills being slightly tipt with white; the tail is as in the
male, and minutely tipt with white; all the scapulars and whole
upper parts are powdered with a much lighter gray.
   There is no description of the present species in Turton's
translation of Linnmus. The characters of the genus given in
the same work are also in this case incorrect, viz. 'c mouth fur-
nished with a series of bristles-tail not forked," the Night-
hawk having nothing of the former, and its tail being largely
forked.
NNIGHT-HAWK.
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