CAPRIMULGID^ 



COSMETORNIS 



43 



Layard's B. S. Afr. pp. 89, 803 (1875-84) ; Oates, Matabeleland, p. 

 301 (1881) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 240 [Mashonaland] ; Holub d- 

 Pelzeln, Orn. Siid-Afrikas, p. 54 (1882) ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 

 595 (1892) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 107 (1896) ; Soiverby, Ibis, 1898, 

 p. 570 [Ft. Chiquaqua] ; Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 94 [Zambesi] ; 

 Marshall, ibid. p. 245 [Salisbury] ; Woodward Bros. ibid. p. 520 

 [St. Lucia Lake] . 

 " Ainadamba " of Mashonas ; " Manooella " of Matabele (Ayres). 



Description. Male. Above, dark brown mottled and barred 

 with pale rufous and black, a distinct dark rufous collar on the 

 nape of the neck spotted with black ; primaries deep brown, white 

 at their bases for about one-third their length and tipped with 

 white, the seventh and eighth are somewhat elongated and not 

 white tipped, the ninth is elongated to about three times the entire 

 length of the bird, white at the base, along the shaft and inner 

 web, the outer web darker ; a white spot on the throat ; breast 



FIG. 19. Wing of Cosmetornis vexillarius. x |. 



rufous, abdomen white, both barred with blackish-brown, tail- 

 coverts white, tail below, mottled black and white barred with 

 black. 



Iris dark brown ; upper mandible and tip of lower dusky, base 

 of latter flesh-coloured ; legs and feet dusky-brown. 



Length about 10-5 ; wing (along first primary) 8 - 50 ; eighth 

 primary 11-25 ; ninth primary 29*5 ; tail 5*5 ; culmen 0*42 ; tarsus 

 0-90. 



The female differs from the male in the following points ; the 

 rufous collar is narrower, the abdomen and under tail-coverts are 

 buff barred with dark brown ; there are no elongated primaries, 

 and the wing-quills are deep brown with five large rufous spots on 

 both webs. 



Distribution. The Standard-wing Nightjar is only found in 

 the more tropical portions of South Africa extending from the 

 northern part of Damaraland along the Zambesi through Mashona- 



