186 



Distribution. Throughout the greater part of India, from Sainbhar 

 in Eajputana, Mount Abu and Kattywar to Mysore (but not 

 apparently further south, nor in Ceylon); also throughout the 

 Lower Himalayas, in Burma locally as far south as Amherst, in 

 Cochin China and Southern China. 



Habits, fyc. This bird is badly named, for it is by no means a 

 hill species ; its especial haunt appears to be thin forest. In the 

 more jungly parts of the Southern Central Provinces I found it by 

 far the commonest Nightjar. The call is very similar to that of 

 G. asiaticus. The eggs are usually cream-coloured, spotted and 

 blotched with faint purple and pale brown, and measure about 

 1-16 by -84. 



1091. Caprimulgus asiaticus. The Common Indian Nightjar. 



Caprimulgus asiaticus, Lath. Ind. Orn. ii, p. 588 (1790) ; Gray in 

 Hardw. 111. Ind. Zool. i, pi. 34 ; Blyth, Cat. p. 83 ; Horsf. $ M. 

 Cat. i, p. 115 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 197 ; Stoliczka, J. A. 8. B. xli, 

 pt. 2, p. 232 ; Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 421 ; Adam, S. F. i, 

 p. 371 ; James, ibid. p. 419; Butler, S. F. iii, p. 455 ; ix, p. 380; 

 Blyth Sf Wald. Birds Burm. p. 83 ; Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi, p. 59 ; 

 Ball, S. F. vii, p. 203 ; Hume, Cat. no. 112 ; Legge, Birds Ceyl 

 p. 343 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 48 ; Bingham, ibid. p. 150 ; Reid, S. F. 

 x, p. 20 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 17 ; id. in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii, 

 p. 48 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 91 ; id. Jour. Bomb. N. H. Soc. iv r 

 p. 7, pi. fig. 112 (egg) ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, p. 558. 



Fig. 54. Head of C. asiaticus, j-. 



Coloration. Upper parts yellowish grey, with little or no rufous 

 tinge ; black elongate spots on the middle of the crown, and very 

 narrow black shaft-stripes on the back ; a broad buff collar broken 

 by dusky markings ; scapulars richly marked with large black 

 spots and broad bright buff edges ; large buff patches on the wing- 

 coverts, first four primaries each with a white spot in the middle ; 

 middle tail-feathers like upper plumage, but with ill-marked 

 narrow black cross-bars, outer two pairs tipped white, the outer- 

 most pair have frequently the outer webs brown at the tip, but 

 edged with buff throughout; lower plumage buff, indistinctly 

 barred with brown, the breast and throat mottled also ; under 

 tail-coverts unbarred ; a narrow buffy -white moustachial stripe and 

 a white spot on the throat, the feathers tipped buff and black. 

 Sexes alike. 



Bill flesh-colour at base, the upper mandible reddish, tip dark 

 brown ; irides brown ; legs and feet pinkish brown. 



