NIGHTJAR. 285 



in his Arctic Zoology, says it is common over Siberia and 

 Kampschatka, where it lives not only in forests, but in 

 open countries, finding rocks and high banks for shelter. 

 It is found, as might be expected, over the southern part 

 of the European continent, particularly Spain, coming 

 across to Gibraltar from Tangiers, visits Provence, Italy, 

 and most of the islands of the Mediterranean, having been 

 observed as far to the eastward as the countries between 

 the Black and the Caspian Seas. 



The upper mandible of the beak, extending but little 

 from the forehead, is black, with nine or ten stiff bristles 

 arranged along the edge on each side ; the under mandible 

 also black at the point, but pale brown at the base ; the 

 gape very wide and extending so far backwards as to bring 

 the angle in a vertical line under the posterior edge of the 

 eye : the irides dusky black ; the top of the head is pale 

 greyish brown, produced by dark minute specks on a 

 yellowish white ground ; a dark central stripe of blackish 

 brown feathers passes to the nape of the neck ; the ear- 

 coverts and a patch of feathers on each side behind the 

 ear-coverts are also dark brown, bounded below and behind 

 with pale yellowish brown, thus dividing the freckled grey 

 colour of the head from that of the back, rump, and upper 

 tail-coverts ; the scapularies anteriorly, and on the outer 

 sides, are bounded by dark brown, mixed with some yellow 

 brown ; the anterior part of the wing is also dark brown, 

 bounded posteriorly with lighter brown ; the quill -feathers 

 dark brown, spotted on both webs with yellow brown, and 

 tipped with grey ; the first three primaries on each side, in 

 the male bird, have a well-defined oblong patch of pure 

 white on the inner web ; the middle tail-feathers freckled 

 grey, with seven or eight darker transverse bars ; the two 

 outer feathers on each side are dark brown, barred with 

 yellow brown on both webs, and in the males, these two 



