l^OTES ON THE GENUS CAPRIMULGUS IN THE PUNJAB. 369 



Sept. 1st.— Many in the grass and bush jungle partly flooded in an old 

 famine relief work called Rajpura. Three birds were shot 

 for identification. 

 13th.— Still common in the same patch of ground and two shot. 1 may 

 note that this tank is surrounded by much similar ground 

 yet the Nightjar appeared confined to the tank. 

 Note.—Mr. R. Branford, I.C.S., V.D., Supdt. of Government 

 Cattle Farm, informed me that Nightjars had become 

 similarly abundant in July and August 191-5 and in 

 August 1916. 



Ludhiana District, 1917. 



July 31st. — A flight of 9 or 10 observed in one portion of a sandy plain 

 behind Civil Lines, covered with straggling patches of Sirkana 

 grass. Specimens were shot and found to be heavy in 

 moult. 



Aug. 9th. — Two, apparently of this species, flushed in grass jungle near 

 the Budhan nala. 

 10th. — Some on the embankment on! the railway bridge at Ladhowal. 

 one shot. 



Sept, 15th. — Two flushed in the same place. 



Jhang District, 1919. 



Aug. 20th — A solitary female shot from a borrow-pit at the side of the 

 railway line near Chund bridge. 

 The call of this Nightjar is said to be very similar to that of C. asiaticw^ 

 siaticus, but 1 have never heard it. When flushed in the day time 

 individuals utter a low sort of chuckle not easily described. 



HORSFIELD'S NIGHTJAR, CAFBIMULGUS MACRURU^ 

 NIPALEXSIS. Hartert. 



My only definite record of Horsfield's Nightjar for our area is that in 

 the British Museum Catalogue of a male from Simla (March 5) in the 

 Tweeddale Collection. It is there attributed to C. macrurus albonotatus but 

 since that date the Nepalese and West Himalayan form has been separated 

 under the name of C. nipalensis. Hume however describes a clutch of eggs 

 taken at Dharmsala by Captain Cock (N. and E. 2nd Ed. Ill, 44). 



G. F. L. Marshall (.Jour., Simla N. H. S., 1886, 70) remarks in his descrip- 

 tion of Simla birds that it •• ought to be heard in the valleys near"' but 

 does not say anything more definite. 



The call is described by Jerdon (in addition to a low chirp, sometimes 

 emitted on the wing) as the sound of striking a hammer on a plank, but 

 Marshall (loc. Cit.) says that that gives little idea of the richness and 

 volume of the sound " Chounk Chounk,'' repeated at intervals. 



With reference to the above article on the Nightjars of the Punjab, 

 appended is a brief summary by Dr. C. B. Ticehurst on the Nightjars of 

 Sind and Baluchistan so far as there is any information. 



SIND. 



Caprimulgus mahrattensis. —Rume (S. F. Vol. I) says Nightjars are 

 very rare in Sind and he met with this species on the Upper Snul frontier, 

 but that he was told Nightjars of sorts were common round Larkhana, 

 23 



