34 CAPEIMULGID^ CAPEIMULGUS 



(Wahlberg), Pinetown (Shelley), Camperdown, near Maritzburg, in 

 December (Eeid), Ifafa and Eshowe (Woodward) ; Orange Eiver 

 Colony— Kroonstad (Barratt) ; Transvaal — Potchefstroom, December 

 to February, Eustenburg, November to February, Macamac in 

 Lydenburg in January (Ayres), Waterberg district (Pretoria Mus.). 



Outside our limits this Nightjar is found breeding throughout 

 Europe and western Asia, passing through the whole of Africa on 

 its southward migration. 



Habits. — The Nightjar, like all its kindred, is chiefly active at 

 night ; it appears at dusk and hawks for insects, of which its food 

 is entirely composed ; it generally continues active throughout the 

 night whether the moon is shining or not. During the day it 

 remains hidden as a rule, though it is not averse to light and is 

 fond of basking in the sunlight. The male utters a sharp whistle 

 as well as a bubbling note during flight, while the vibrating churr 

 is emitted when the bird is stationary ; the note of the female is a 

 chuck. When resting on a branch the bird sits leugthways with 

 the head level or lower than the tail. The claw of the middle toe 

 of all Nightjars is pectinated or comb-shaped along the inner 

 edge (see fig. 17, p. 30) ; the use of this modification has not yet been 

 determined. As already stated, this Nightjar is only a winter visitor 

 to South Africa, and has hitherto not been known to breed here, nor 

 is it very probable that it will be found to do so. In Europe, how- 

 ever, the eggs, two in number, are laid on bare ground on short moss 

 or even on dead gorse needles among furze ; they are oblong, equally 

 rounded at each end, creamy-white, marbled and veined with 

 brownish-black and lilac-grey. 



From early times in almost all European countries this bird 

 has been designated by some name equivalent to Goat-Sucker, 

 which is also applied to it in England, and the fable about its 

 sucking the teats of goats is widely spread. Some such belief is 

 apparently prevalent even among the Zulus, as according to the 

 Woodwards they interpret the Nightjars' weird cry as follows : — 

 " Savolo sengela abantubako," which means " Nightjar, milk for 

 your people." 



393. Gaprimulgus rufigena. Bufous-chceked Nightjar. 



Caprimulgus rufigena, Smith, III. Zool. S. Afr. Aves, pi. 100 (1845) ; 

 Ayres, Ibis, 1869, p. 289 ; Gurney in Andersson'' s B. Damara- 

 land, p. 44 (1872) ; BucUey, Ibis, 1874, p. 362 [Bamangwato] ; 

 Sharjie, ed. Bayard's B, S. Afr. pp. 85, 803 (1875-84) ; Ayres, Ibis, 



