Herr E. Hartert on the Caprimulgidae. 277 



(1) Caprimulgus europ;eus and its allies. 



The Common Goatsucker is spread over Europe generally 

 and the south-western parts of Siberia, There is no differ- 

 ence in plumage between specimens from various parts of 

 Europe, except in the extreme east, where the plumage be- 

 comes paler and the dark markings less bold If w^e proceed 

 further to the east, to Eastern Persia, the Oxus, Afghanistan, 

 and North-western India, we find this form more developed 

 and more pronounced, so that specimens from these localities 

 form a subspecies, Caprimulgus unwini of Hume. This 

 form seems to be very distinct, if it is compared with speci- 

 mens of C, europcBiis frotn AVestern Europe, but it is con- 

 nected with the latter by a perfect series of intermediate 

 forms. Therefore it is only possible to regard C. unwini as a 

 paler and smaller subspecies of C. europ<Bus, but it is not 

 desirable to name any of the intermediate forms also, as 

 there is no constancy among them. No advantage can be 

 gained by naming such ill-defined intermediate forms as are 

 connected with both extremes by an unbroken series. 



The Caprimulgus europmus unwini, as I shall call this 

 eastein form, is found in Eastern Persia, Afghanistan, the 

 Northern Panjab, parts of Turkestan, and far into the East. It 

 wanders south in wdnter to Siudli, and probably to Arabia. 



Besides this well-known race there is another almost un- 

 known form in Central Asia, i. e. the Caprimulgus phanipes of 

 Prjevalski (Rowl. Orn. Misc. ii. p. 158). Through the kind- 

 ness of Dr. Fleske, I have had the opportunity of examining 

 one of Prjevalski's typical specimens of this bird from Mon- 

 golia and two perfectly similar specimens from Turkestan. 

 It is a very distinct form, of a rufbus-bufl", or even saudy- 

 rufous, colour, with narrow streaks of black along the crown, 

 and with broad and regular pale rufous bands across the 

 inner webs of the primaries. Comparison of a large material, 

 however, shows that these chaiacters are less constant 

 than the first impression induces one to think. There 

 are specimens of C. unwini that approach C. plumipes, and 

 some of the latter that somewhat point to C. europatus. 

 Therefore it seems preferable to consider C. plumipes as 



