Ilcrr E. Ilartert on the (^apriinulgid;ie. 283 



dark and small, and in tlio skins in the British Musevmi the 

 narrow line runnin<^- along the gape, wliich is more or less 

 butlish in typical C. viacntrm, is somewhat obvious and 

 whitish. On aceount of these facts the bird inhabiting 

 North Borneo was distingnishod by Dr. liowdlcr Sharpc 

 under the name of C. saivadorii. Afterwards, when Mr. 

 Everett had sent more specimens. Dr. Sharpe admitted the 

 close resemblance of his C. saivadorii to C. niacruriis, and 

 now that more materials are available I believe that he does 

 not insist on its specific distinctness. Comparing the series of 

 specimens from North Borneo with the very large series of 

 C. macnirus from other localities, I find it impossible to 

 separate tlicm. Specimens from Waigiou and Am are per- 

 fectly similar to those from North Borneo ; they belong to 

 the very dark blackish island-form. 



Again, specimens fron) the foot of the Himalayas, espe- 

 cially those from Nepal, differ from typical C. albonotatus 

 from the plains in thcii" brighter colours and more frecpient 

 dark nuirkings, but are not so dark as C niacnirus. This 

 may be due to the dilfcrent and more covered soil rather 

 than to the climate. They might, without much objec- 

 tion, be separated as a subspecies — C. nipaleiisis, llodgs. 

 (nom. nud.), but nothing can be gained by distinguishing 

 such slightly differentiated and restricted forms. Indeed, 

 this form from the mountains may be regarded as inter- 

 mediate between the true C. albonotatus and C. macrurus. 



(7) Caprimulgus indicus and C. jotaka. 



Mr. Hume, in several places in ' Stray Feathers,^ has 

 })ointed out that the so-called C. indicus and C. jotaka are 

 closely allied, and that almost all the distinguishing characters 

 fail if large series are compared. He has therefore admitted 

 {' Stray Feathers,' 1878, i. pp. 5(5, 57) that he was unable to 

 discover an absolute distinction between the two, and that 

 they might be merely races of one species. In vol. xi. of 

 ' Stray Feathers,' however, he says that he believes that their 

 notes are different. Oates, in vol. ii. of the ' Birds of 

 British Burmah,' p. 21, also gives evidence of the close 



