of insects, and of sustaining themselves in the air during the entire
day without cessation.' These birds are supposed to roost at nights
in the clefts of rocks and in trees.
Male; length, eight inches; bill, short, broad at the base, and
black; iris, hazel: in front of and over the eye is a line of stiff
black bristly leathers; forehead, greyish wdiite; crown, and neck on
the back, glossy brown, with purple and green reflections; chin,
white; throat, white; breast, brown, darkest on the sides, which are
spotted with white; back, greyish brown, lightest in the middle.
The wings extend three inches beyond the end of the tail; the first
and second quill leathers are of nearly equal length, and the longest
in the wing; greater wing coverts, dull brown, with purple and
green reflections, the innermost being more or less white on the
inner web; lesser wing coverts, dull brown, with purple and green
reflections; primaries, dull brown, lightest on the inner web; secondaries,
the same. Tail above, as the crown; beneath, brown; it is
square in shape, the1 feathers ten in number, and the same colour
as the wings; the shaft of each feather projects beyond the web,
forming a series of spines about an eighth of an inch long from
the middle feathers, and gradually shortening on the side ones.
Upper tail coverts, as the crown; under tail coverts, white; legs,
dark brown. The toes, which are dark brown, are placed three
before and one behind, the latter rather on the inner side; claws,
dark brown.