Birds from British East Africa and Uganda. 303 



published, and apparently adopted the name on the 

 authority of Sundevall in the CEfvers. Kongl. Vet.-Akad. 

 Forh. vol. vi. 1849, pp. 156 & 159, who says that Afzelius 

 brought home 23 species and that he saw some years before 

 the plate of this Nightjar, but cannot now find it. 



163. Caprimulgus natalensis chadensis. Alexander's Natal 

 Nightjar. 



Caprimulgus chadensis Alexander, Bull. B. O. C. vol. xxi 

 1908, p. 90: Lake Chad. 



a. cJ ad. Pader District, 3200 ft. Feb. 18. 



Total length in flesh : 9| inches. Wing : 155 mm. 



A rather dark specimen in good dress. 



[Irides brown ; eyelids dull yellow ; bill brownish-flesh, 

 tip black ; legs and toes flesh-colour. Only two of these 

 birds were seen flying about the Pader Camp at dusk.] 



It is remarkable that the only character of any value for 

 separating nortliern from southern African birds is a slight 

 difference in size; this is all the more remarkable seeing that 

 in the south this Nightjar is only known from Natal and 

 Zululand; the northern form occnrs in Uganda, the Egyptian 

 Sudan, the Welle River and Lake Chad Districts; but 

 hitherto no Nightjar of this type has been recorded from 

 any locality between these very widely separated regions, 

 though large collections have been made in Portuguese 

 East Africa, the Transvaal, and Nyasaland. 



The measurement of the wings gives the following 



result : — South Africn, ^ 163-157 ram. (type 161 mm.), 



? 163-149 mm.; East Africa, ^ 159-150 mm., ? 159- 



146 mm. — a difference of only 4 mm. between the largest 



specimens of both sexes. 



I agree with Mr. Banner man that at least four well- 

 defined races of this Nightjar are recognisable (cf. Ibis, 

 1912, p. 247). 



The range of these races appears to be as follows : — 



Caprimulgus natalensis natalensis. 

 Caprimulgus natalensis Smith, 111. Zool. S. Africa, vol. ii. 

 1845, pi. 99: Port Natal. 



