190 Notes on Sever tzoff's 'Fauna of Turkestan.' 



Vertical range. Breeds in districts 1, 2, and 3, rarely in 

 the first. 



In a MS. note at page 145, Dr. Severtzoff writes as fol- 

 lows : — " My C. pallens is a somewhat doubtful species, and 

 may prove identical with a Chinese specimen in the Paris 

 Museum labelled Caprimulgus stictomus, but which Mr. Swin- 

 hoe considers to be merely a pale specimen of C. monticola, 

 and says that the true C. stictomus is confined to Formosa, and 

 does not occur on the mainland of Asia. I have taken an 

 accurate description of the Paris bird to compare with my 

 specimen, which is in Russia. The pale form of C. europeeus, 

 from the Ural river, is not intermediate between C. europceus 

 and my C. pallens. This pale form I have found breeding 

 on the east side of Lake Aral, and near the Lower Oxus, where 

 the bird runs rather smaller than in Europe, but in coloration 

 it is identical with Ural examples. It would be well to com- 

 pare these with C. indicus, Lath., and C. mahrattensis , Sykes, 

 as the matter requires further investigation." 



240. Caprimulgus arenicolor, Severtzoff", Ibis, 1875, p. 

 491. 



Caprimulgus isabellinus, Teram. ; Severtzoff", p. 68. 



Horizontal range. Breeds in districts III. and IV., rarely 

 in the former. 



Vertical range. Breeds in district 1. 



A careful description of this species is given in ' The Ibis ' 

 {I. c.) by Dr. Severtzoff", who, in a MS. note, gives me the 

 following particulars : — " There is no constant difference in 

 colour between the young and old birds ; but the former are 

 recognizable by their laxer plumage on the body. This lax 

 plumage is moulted in July, soon after the young leave the 

 nest, and when they are in family parties with their parents ; 

 and, judging from these parties, two or three young are reared 

 from each nest. About the end of August these family parties 

 break up j and then the young have lost the immature plumage, 

 except as regards the under tail-coverts. After leaving their 

 parents they are found in pairs ; and the old birds leave the 

 Lower Oxus about the first half of September, the young re- 

 maining till the end of that month, and some few until the 



