38 BIRDS OF TUNISIA 



C. eiiropceus. I have not been fortunate enough to meet with its eggs 

 myself, but Baron v. Erlanger mentions having found two clutches of 

 the species. Two eggs obtained at Oglet-Nachla on May 11th he 

 describes as being of a dull grey-yellow, with hardly perceptible ash- 

 grey shell-marks, and grey-yellow surface-blotches. They measured 

 respectively 34 x 21, and 32 x 21 mm. 



CAPRIMULGUS RUFICOLLIS DESERTORUM, Erlanger. 

 PALE EUFOUS-NAPED NIGHTJAE. 



Caprimulgus ruficollis, Tcmm. 2Ian. d'Orn. i, p. 438 (1820) ; Hartcrt, 

 Cat. Birdu Brit. Alus. xvi, p. 531 ; Mallierbc, Cat. Bais. d'Ois. Ahj. p. 

 18, (1846) ; Loche, Expl. Sci. Alg. Ois. ii, p. 104 (1867) ; Koenig, J.f. 0. 

 1892, p. 359 ; M'hilakei; Ibis, 1898, p. 126. 



C. ruficollis desertorum, Erlaiujcr, J.f. 0. 1899, p. 521. 



Description. — Adult male, spring, from Djebel Chambi, Central Tunisia. 



Sides of head silvery-grey ; centre of head rufous, broadly streaked with 

 black ; neck collar tawn) -yellow, varied with brown and black markings ; 

 back, rump and upper tail-coverts silvery-grey, pencilled and streaked with 

 black ; the two central tail-feathers grey, bordered with buff, and irregularly 

 barred with black, rest of tail-feathers rufous-brown, barred with black, the 

 three outer pairs being broadly tipped with white ; scapulars and wing- 

 coverts pencilled with grey and brown, broadly bordered with bright buff, 

 and streaked with black ; quills dark brown, barred with rufous, the three 

 outer primaries with large white patches on the inner webs ; underparts 

 yellowish-buff, faintly barred and vermiculated with brown ; a white patch 

 on each side of the throat, some of the white feathers being tipped with 

 black. 



Iris black ; bill and feet brown. 



Total lungth 12 inches, wing 8, culmen from gape 1'20, tarsus '80. 



Adult female resembles the male, but the white patches on the tail and 

 wings are generally smaller. 



Observations. — The general coloration of this Nightjar is paler and more 

 rufous than that of specimens of C. ruficollis from Spain, which may be 

 taken as typical. The difference is perhaps most marked on the underparts, 

 which, in Tunisian examples, are far less barred than in Spanish ones. The 

 white markings on the rectrices and primaries are also generally rather more 

 extended in the Tunisian birds, than in typical C. ruficollis. The white 



