76 Rev. H. B. Tristram on the Oi-mthology of Palestine. 



resembles that of tlie Egyptian C isahellinus in its tone, and in its 

 distribution C. ruficollis, though the bird is little more than half 

 the size of the latter. It has the same russet collai*, the white on 

 the throat rather forming two large spots than a gorget, and has 

 narrow black streaks down the centre of the feathers on the 

 forehead and occiput, with large ochreous spots on the upper 

 wing-coverts, its flanks being barred with dark brown. The 

 tail, which is not so pale as that of C. isubellinus, is, like 

 it, exquisitely barred and dusted with black spots. Of 

 course we never found it breeding, since, excepting for one 

 single day, we did not revisit its haunts after February. Like 

 all the other peculiar birds of the Ghor, and unlike its con- 

 geners, it must be a permanent resident. Its call-note resem- 

 bled that of our Nightjar. 



We several times met with Caprimulyus europaus after the 

 beginning of April, in the first week of which month I found it 

 at Jericho. A skin of C. ruficollis was offered to me for sale by 

 a Greek at Jerusalem, who assured me he had bought it in the 

 flesh in the market there ; and as all his other birds were un- 

 questionably natives, I had no reason to doubt his statement ; 

 but his price was prohibitory. I have remarked that, while in 

 Algeria the Common Nightjar is a winter visitant only, the Red- 

 necked species is certainly only a summer migrant, though very 

 abundant. It is curious that in the more southern latitude of 

 Palestine this certainly does not hold good, and that neither 

 species should remain through the winter. 



In the first part of these notes (Ibis, 1865, pp. 76-79) I 

 have already fully described the habits and nidification of 

 Cypselus ahyssinicus {^galilaensis). As the identity of this 

 bird with C. affinis, J. E. Gray, of India seems to be admitted, 

 the description of the nests of this species in India given by 

 Dr. Jerdon is of some interest : and I cannot but suspect that the 

 curious parasitical habit, of which so unquestionable an example 

 came under our notice near the plain of Gennesaret, as already 

 recorded by me, where the Swift dislodged from their newly built 

 nest a pair of the Rufous Swallow [Hirundo rujuld), may explain 

 the strange variation in Swifts^ nests spoken of by Dr. Jerdon 

 (Birds of India, i. p. 178). Of the hundreds of original nests 



