CAPRIMULGUS. 



329 



Order PICARI^.. 



S u b - o r d e r C o r a c i .f. . 



Family CAPRIMULGID^. 



Caprimulgus macrurus. 



LAK(iE-TAlLED NIUHTJAR. 

 Cavrhmdgus.nacruru,, Horsf., Trans. Linn. Soc, Vol. XIII., p. 142(1821); Gould, Bds. Austr,, 

 fol. Vol. IL, pi. 9 (1848) ; id., Hand-bk. Bds. Austr., Vol. I., p. 100 (1865) ; Hartert, Cat. 

 Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. XVI., p. 537 (1892) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. Bds., Vol. II., p. 87 (1900). 

 Adult male— G^wsra^ colour ahom hrown, finely -cermiculateA ivilh ,jrey, Ihe feathers down the 

 centre of the head and nape conspicuously streaked with broivnish-black ; collar on the hind neck 

 rufous, the feathers having blackish cross-bars; upper back rich brown; scapulars like the head, with 

 a blackish-brown stib-apical marking or cross-bar, bordered on either side loith buff, paler at the tip; 

 lesser wing-coverts rich brown, some of the long outer ones with buffy-white tips; the median and 

 greater coverts rich brown, vermiculated and conspicuously tipped with bvff; quills brown, with the 

 remains of broken rufous cross-bars, more numerous on the inner secondaries and largely decreasing 

 in number towards the first primary, which has a white spot on the inner portion of the inner iveb, 

 the second, third and fourth primaries with a large white patch on both webs, the inner primaries 

 having indistinct brou>nish-grey freckles near the tip ; tail blackish-broa-n, the central feathers 

 irregularly and finely freckled with pale brown, the lateral ones having the remains of broken rufous 

 cross-bars, the apical third of the two outer feathers on either side white tinged with brown on the 

 margin of the outer tveb ; lores, feathers around the eyes and the ear-coverts rich velvety-brown, slightly 

 darker on the former; chin and sides of the throat rich brown with indistinct blackish cross-bars; a 

 broad white band extends across the throat, the lower feathers tipped with black, followed by a line oj 

 blackish-brown feathers tipped with rich buff, some of them having the remains of indistinct blackish- 

 brown cross-bars; chest dull grey, vermiculated with broivn, some of the feathers in the centre having 

 whitish tips, remainder of the under surface and under tail-coverts rich buff with dark-brown cross- 

 bars; bill black; legs and feet reddish-brown; iris blackish-brown. Total length 11 inches, wing 

 7-0, tail 6, bill 0-4, tarsus 0-7. 



Adult female—" Differs from the adult male in having the outer weh of the first primary 

 spotted with rufous, in having pale rufous marks on the primaries instead of luhite ones, in the tips 

 to the outer rectrices being less in extent and tinged ivith buff or rufous, speckled with brown on the tip 

 of the outer web." ''■'■ 



Distribntion-Novth-wesiern Australia, Northern Territory of South Australia, Queensland. 

 /T^HE Large-tailed Nightjar has a wide range, extending from Northern Australia to 

 ±. Southern Asia. In the " Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum," f Dr. E. Hartert 

 remarks :-" The typical form is found in Queensland and Northern Australia, many of the 

 Papuan Islands, throughout the Malay Archipelago, in Cochin China, Siam, the Malay Penmsula 

 and Tenasserim." This species is also found in Java, Malacca and the Aru Islands. 



In Australia Dr. Hartert has recorded specimens from Quail Island, North-western Australia, 



the Alligator River in the Northern Territory, and Queensland. Mr. Edwin Ashby, of Adelaide, 



informs me that he has several specimens sent him from the Northern Territory of South 



Australia. All the specimens I have examined were obtained at Cair ns an d Card well. I have 



• HartertyCat7BclsrBrit! Mus.. Vol. XVI., p. 538 (1892). t Loc. cit.. p. 538- 



