1. CAPRIMULGTTS. 641 



This is a largo and pale form of C. macrurus. Specimens from 

 the plains of Nortli-western India, especially from the Punjab, are 

 very light coloured, and no doubt greatly adapted to the pale sands 

 and drier soil : tlic markings arc paler brown, the scapulars less 

 brilliantly marked, the dark spots on the crown less numerous, 

 narrower, and more confined to the middle of the crown ; the wings 

 are very long, and the lower piirts very strongly tinged with pale 

 sand)' rufous. The specimens from the foot of the Himalayas and 

 especially from Nepal, where the forest-region prevails, are, as a 

 rule, very pronounced in colour : the dark markings are bold and 

 distinct, the head greyish, the lower parts very strongly marked, but 

 they have not such a rufous aspect as true C. macrurus. The 

 mountain form has been named 0. nifcdensis by Hodgson ; and if 

 one compares a full-plumaged individual of it with a typical 

 specimen of 0. macrurus from the Malay Islands, or a pale C. albo- 

 notatus from the Indian plains, one might Ije persuaded that they 

 belong to three distinct forms. The differences, however, are too 

 slight and inconstant to warrant the separation of the Nepalese 

 bird. The wing of typical C. albonotatus measures from 8 to 8*6 

 inches, the tail from 6-5 to 7 inches. 



The nestling is covered with rufous-buff down, and the sprouting 

 feathers are almost entirely cinnamon-rufous in colour. 



Hah. From the Southern Punjab along the foot of the Himalayas, 

 throughout the North-West and Central Provinces of India to 

 Bengal, occasionally occurring further to the southward in tho 

 Indian peninsula. Specimens from Assam and Burmah are inter- 

 mediate and approach the true C. macrurus, especially those from 

 the Burmese provinces. 



There is a young female in the Hume Collection, obtained by 

 Dr. Scully in the Nepal valley, and mentioned and described by him 

 as a doubtful species of Caprimulr/us in ' Stray Feathers ' for 1879, 

 p. 236. It is a pale-coloured bird like 0. albonotatus, but is ex- 

 tremely small, the wing measuring 7*2 inches only, like small 

 typical C. macrurus. There are, however, other specimens from 

 Nepal that are nearly equally small, also younger specimens. I 

 think that thej' also belong to C. albonotatus. 



a. (S ad. sk. N.W. Himalayas. Pinwill Coll. 



b. S ad. sk. Simla, March o {C. H. T. Mar- Tweeddale Coll. 



shall). 



c. d. c? 2 ad. sk. Masuri. Hume Coll. 



e. 5 ad. sk. Naiui Tal {S. Pinwill). ' Tweeddale Coll. 



/. Ad. st. rjangaotri. Old Coll. 



y, h, i. iS ad. ; k. Kiuuaou {Gen. Slrachey). India Museum 



$ ad. sk. [P.]. 



I. c? ad. sk. Kumaon, March 4. Hume Coll. 



m-q. iS ad.; r- Nepal. Hodgson Coll. 



u. 2 ad. ; r, w. (Types of C. nipalensis.) 



Juv. sk. 



.V. 2 inim. sk. Nepal Valley (J. ScuUi/). Hume Coll. 



7/. d ad. sk. Siwalik HilL-^, March (Dr. Scotf). Tweeddale Coll. 



s, «'• d 2 ad. sk. .\llahabad. Hume Coll. 



