ISABELLINE NIGHTJAR. 315 



CAPRIMULGUS ^GYPTIUS. 

 ISABELLINE NIGHTJAR. 



Caprimulgus segyptius, Licht. Verz. Doubl. p. 59 (1823 ) ; et auctorum plurimorum 



Heuglin, Dresser, Shelley, Sharpe, Severtzow, &c. 

 Capriraulgus isabellinus, Temm. PI. Col. 379 (1825). 

 Caprimulgus arenicolor, Severtz. Ibis, 1875, p. 491. 



Ten years ago the occurrence of the Isabelline Nightjar in Europe 

 was entirely unsuspected, but on the 22nd of June, 1875, an example was 

 shot on Heligoland. When Mr. Sharpe and I visited this island in 1876 

 we bought the specimen from Aeukens, the bird-stuffer, in whose shop it 

 was displayed as a pale variety of the Common Goatsucker. I brought it 

 to England and compared it with examples from Egypt and Turkestan ; 

 and finding it to be identical with them (though some of the former were 

 smaller in size), I recorded it as a European bird (Ibis, 1877, p. 163), 

 and presented the specimen to my friend Gaetke, of whose magnificent 

 collection it now forms a not unimportant ornament. In 1878 my friend 

 Professor Giglioli discovered no less than three examples in the University 

 Museum at Malta (Ibis, 1881, p. 192). Of the correctness of the identi- 

 fication of two of these specimens I can speak from personal inspection. 



The claim of the Egyptian Nightjar to be considered a British bird is 

 still more recent. A specimen was obtained near Mansfield, in Notting- 

 hamshire, on the 23rd of June, 1883 (Whitaker, ' Zoologist/ 1883, p. 374). 

 Mr. Whitaker writes : " On the 23rd of June last my keeper shot at a 

 rabbit in Thieves Wood, near Mansfield, and at the report of the gun a 

 Nightjar flew out of the edge of the wood. Its light colour attracting his 

 attention, he fired his other barrel at it and brought it down. Thinking it 

 only a young bird he did not send it to me, but kept it two days in his 

 house, and then threw it into the back yard, where it lay until the after- 

 noon of the same day, hens, pigeons, and children in the meantime doing 

 their best to spoil its appearance. By good luck I went up to see him, 

 and hearing that it was a light-coloured bird I went to look at it, and 

 found what I thought was a pale variety of the Common Nightjar. I 

 need hardly say how vexed I was that it had not been brought to me, but 

 I cut off the wings and tail and brought them home. On comparing them 

 with Caprimulgus europaus I saw a striking difference, and sent back for 

 the body, with which my bird-stuffer has contrived to make a skin." 



I have carefully compared this example with a skin in my collection 

 from Samarkand, and have not the slightest doubt either as to the deter- 

 mination of the species or of the identity of the specimen in Mr. Whitaker's 



