198 birds of india. 



Sykes' Night-jak. 



Descr. — Pale ashy-grey, variegated and waved with brown 

 and ferruginous ; the breast, the three outer quills in the centre, 

 and the two lateral tail-feathers on each side, marked with white. 



Length 8|, tail 5^. 



Such is Sykes' description of his species. I lately obtained 

 a specimen of a Caprimulgus of this group from the banks of 

 the Ganges near Caragola, which appears to be the present species, 

 and which corresponds pretty closely with a figure of a Goat- 

 sucker among Sir A. Burnes's drawings, from the banks of 

 the Indus. 



The general colour of this bird is a pale sandy-grey, very 

 sparingly spotted with black on the head ; wing-coverts, ter- 

 tiaries, and scapulars, with some pale fulvous markings ; the 

 quills are brown, grey at the tip, with pale mottled fulvous 

 bands, and a large pale fulvous spot on the first three primaries, 

 on the inner web only of the 1st, on both webs of the 2nd and 

 3rd, and albescent within ; tail with the centre feathers pale 

 grey, finely vermiculated, and with a few very narrow, interrupted 

 zigzag bands of black ; the outer tail-feathers are more or less 

 mottled, less prominently banded with black, and with a broad 

 fulvous tip; beneath, the prevalent tint is pale fulvous, mixed 

 with gey mottlings, pale cross lines, and a square triangular 

 fulvous spot on the breast; the under tail-coverts are pure pale 

 fulvous. 



Length 9;^ inches ; wing barely 7 ; extent 22 ; tail 4^ ; tarsus 

 reddish-yellow. 



Sykes's specimens were found on the Western Ghats; and 

 according to Horsfield it is also found in Afghanistan. Bonaparte 

 erroneously puts my Indicus, or rather Kelaarti, as synonymous 

 with Sykes's Mahrattensis. 



4th Group. — Both the outer tail-feathers entirely white, and 

 the tarsus naked. 



114. Caprimulgus monticolus, Fkanklin. 



P. Z. S. 1831— Sykes, Cat. 29— Jerdon, Cat. 250— Blyth, 

 Cat. 41 G — HoRSF., Cat. 136— C. gymnopus, IIopQSON. 



