OVITATES ZOOLOGICAE XXV. 1918. 321 



and American writers are naming numerous subspecies on account of similar 

 average differences in size (length of wing), but they should, in our opinion, only 

 be considered sufficient for new names if large series are measured. Small series 

 of 5 or 6 skins are not warranting the creation of new names, if they differ only 

 in a similar way. Whether 21 (compared with 57) are to be considered suffi- 

 cient may be questioned. The overlooking by Stresemann of the fourth skin 

 of our former collection, with a wing of 73 mm., which, as it happens, at once 

 surpasses his maximum, shows how deceptive small series can be, though in 

 this case it does not materially alter Stresemann's figures. 



Caprimulgus macrurus meeki subsp. nov. 



The Goatsucker of Sudest Island is nearly aUied to the form from New 

 Guinea, but darker, especially on the crown which is browner and darker, not 

 80 greyish, and on the middle tail-feather. We have now received another 

 four specimens, viz. two fine adult males, one immature moulting male, and 

 one adult female. The wings of the two males measure 182 and 184, that of the 

 female 181 mm. "Iris dark brown. BUI black. Feet dark walnut brown" 

 (Eichhom). This nice new form differs from the Bornean form in its shorter 

 wing and uniform, more rufescent, less wliitish ground-colour of the abdomen, 

 but resembles it very much on the upperside. Perhaps it \vi]l be found that 

 the white tips to the lateral rectrices of the males are generally longer than in 

 most forms, as in our two adult males they measure 55 to 60 mm., the latter 

 measurement of wliich is not reached by New Guinea birds. Type of C. in. meeki : 

 (? ad., No. 7397 of the Meek collection, collected on Sudest Island, 4. v. 1916, by 

 one of the Eichhorns. 



In Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. xlviii. pp. 587 to 599, Mi-. Oberholser pubhshed a 

 valuable review of the " races of the long-tailed Goatsucker." This review is, 

 however, hardly on a par with some of his other reviews, as, for example, that 

 of the Collocalia and Butorides, as his material of Caprimulgi was very meagre, 

 especially with regard to India and the Papuan Islands. Arthur Goodson has 

 now geograpliicaUy arranged our series, and we came to the following conclusions, 

 without referring to the forms from the Indian mainland, which must be studied 

 in the British Museum, as our material is insufficient for that purpose. 



Caprimulgus macrurus macrurus Horsf. 



Caprimulgvs macrurus Horsfield, Trans. Linn. Soc. London, xiii. p. 142 (1821 — Java). 



Possibly C. m. macrurus may be restricted to Java, and probably Bali, 

 but we cannot be quite sure about this at present. Unfortunately we have no 

 series from Java, only a young male in moult and an adult female in poor con- 

 dition, both collected by Ernst Piillwitz. Two skins from Java in the British 

 Museum have the chin rufous and the chest more rufescent than the Bornean 

 specimens, in which the chin is more blackish and the chest more whitish. It 

 is therefore not improbable that the Bornean race can, after all, be separated, 

 in which case it must be called : 



Caprimulgus macrurus salvadorii Sharpe. 

 Oberholser unites the Javan and Bornean birds and with them also those 

 from Palawan and the Calamianes. From the latter islands we have not seen 

 ^1 



