700 ]\Ir. W. L. Sckitcr on Birch collected 



304. Caprimulgus fervidus. 



Tv. Legogot, May (i) ; Woodbush, ]\ray (2) ; P. Coguno, 

 June, Aug., Sept. (7) ; Beira, Dec, Jan. (3). 



This is a some\^■hat rare species iu South Africa. The two 

 sexes seem to be almost identical. The females have the 

 "white ou the tail-feathers and on the primaries, generally 

 characteristic marks of the males, but the spots arc, perhaps, 

 slightly smaller. 



['' I)o^ye " ot" the Ntebis. 



Not until I reached the Transvaal did I come across this 

 species, and there I found it both iu the Eastern and the 

 Korth-Eastern localities visited, and again in the Inhambane, 

 Eeira, and Gorougoza districts of Portuguese East Africa, 

 but it -was not heard or seen uear Tete. It was not common 

 in any locality exccjit at Coguuo, where it was exceedingly 

 plentiful. It appears about sundown, and sits both on the 

 ground and in trees ; it catches its ])rey from a fixed perch, 

 and does not, 1 believe, hawk after the manner of C. fossei. 

 It lias a clear, loud, liquid call of several notes rapidly' 

 repeated, but difl'erent from that of C. nutalensis, and not 

 easily described, and another single peculiar note which, I 

 believe, is the call to another bird, as I always heard it when 

 two came together. The alarm-note is a single harsh cry, 

 sometimes with a sharp snapping noise, probably made with 

 the beak. This species, like most Kightjars, only utters its 

 regular call or '* song^"" when sitting. It was very common 

 all round my camp at Coguno, and sat regularly on the 

 trees near by. I noticed that it called much more often on 

 moonlight nights ; on daik nights it was seldom or never 

 heard. The Xtcbi name is derived from its single call-ncte. 

 The irides are dark brown.] 



S9."). Caprimulgus pectoualis. 



CC. Durban Puk, Se])t. (2); Port Kolloth, Aug. (2). 

 One egg taken at Port Nolloth, Aug. 13. 

 {'' Nacht-uil " of the Cape Colonists. 



The Ca})e Peninsula and Kamaqualand are the only 

 localities where I have seen this Kightjar, and it apjears to 



