100 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



of the throat an obhque line of white ; chest dark brown, 

 each feather broadly barred and spotted with light buff; ab- 

 domen bright buff, finely and irregularly barred with black; 

 under tail-coverts sandy ; bill black ; irides very dark brown ; 

 feet mealy reddish brown. 



Genus CAPRIMULGUS, Linncens. 



Europe, Asia, and Africa are the great strongholds of the 

 members of this genus as at present restricted. A single 

 species only has yet been discovered in Australia, where it 

 frequents the northern or intertropical parts of the country. 



Sp. 50. CAPRIMULGUS MACRURUS, Horsfield. 



Large-tailed Nightjar. 

 Caprimulgus macrurus, Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xiii. p. 142. 



Caprimul^s macrurus, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. ii. pi. 9 



This, the only true Caprimulpis known to inhabit Australia, 

 is I believe identical with the C. macrurus of Horsfield, Avhose 

 specimens were procured in Java, while those I possess 

 were obtained at Port Essington, where the bird is moderately 

 plentiful ; it is also found in Southern India, hence it has an 

 unusually wide range of habitat. It frequents the open parts 

 of the forest, and is strictly nocturnal ; it mostly rests on the 

 ground on the shady side of a large tree close to the roots, 

 and if disturbed several times in succession takes to the 

 branch of one of the largest trees. I have never seen the 

 eggs of this species, but I possess a young bird apparently 

 only a few days old, which Gilbert found lying under a 

 shrubby tree, without any nest or even a blade of grass near 

 it ; the little creature was so similar in colour to that of -the 

 ground upon which it was lying, that it was with difficulty 

 detected, and he was only induced to search for it from 



