Birds from British East Africa and Uganda. 301 



161. Scotornis climacurus. Long-tailed Nightjar. 



Capri)aulgvs climacurus Vieill. Gal. Ois. vol. i. 1825 

 (18.23?), p. 195, pi. 122: Senegal. 



a. ^ . Turk wel River, 2000 ft. Jan. 11. 



6, c. (? ? . Turk wel River, 1900 ft. Jan. 14. 



d. S . Kozibiri River, 1800 ft. Jan. 16. 



e,fS^' Kittigom, 2850 ft. Feb. 20. 



Total length in flesh: ^ 12|, lOi, 10| & 9| inches; 

 9 10 & 9^ inches. Wing: ^ 153-144 mm.; ? 149 & 

 141 mm. 



These six specimens are very evenly matched, and are all 

 in the fulvous fawn phase, one or two inclining to brownish 

 chestnut. All of them appear to be adult, though only 

 one of tlie four males has the central tail-feathers elon- 

 gated. 



[Irides brown ; bill brownish-flesh, tip black ; legs and 

 toes dark or brownish-flesh or greyish brown. Found in 

 numbers under the thorn-bushes.] 



An examination of the large series of this species in the 

 British Museum collection shows that three phases of plumage 

 appear to occur in this Nightjar, i. e., a fulvous fawn, a 

 brownish chestnut, and a grey, having almost every variation 

 in between. When laid out in localities it is noticeable that 

 the grey ones nearly all occur in the east on the Sobat, Blue 

 and White Niles, though fulvous-fawn ones also occur there ; 

 and that the majority of western specimens are fulvous fawn 

 or brownish chestnut, with only an occasional one inclining to 

 grey. Again, from some localities a series shows very even 

 coloration, whilst from others great variation individually 

 exists, for instance, from the Sobat River all are boldly 

 marked and incline to grey, whereas seven from Sierra 

 Leone show a variation from a greyish specimen through 

 brownish chestnut and fulvous fawn to one of a very light 

 greyish sandy. 



It may be that large series from every locality would show 

 some method in the coloration of this apparently variable 

 bird, a probability that the grey series from the Sobat River 

 seems to point to. ■ ■ : 



