20 Hon. N. C. Rotliscliild and Mr. A. F. R. Wollaston 
This little Swift was fairly common at Shendi. So far as 
we observed, it is quite a silent bird ; in other respects its 
habits are very similar to those of the Common Swift. 
Fifteen or twenty pairs were always to be seen flying about 
one of the few big Dom-palms of the district. They w^ere 
constantly going into the crevices at the bases of the leaves, 
and must undoubtedly have had nests there, but the nature 
of the tree forbade any attempts at obtaining them. 
56. Caprimulgus eximius. (Plate I. figs. 3, 4.) 
Caprimulgus eximius Temm. ; Witherby, Ibis, 1901, p. 259. 
114 S, 272 S, 323 S, 446 S, 447 i, 426 S F-. 322 ? , 
371 ?, 441 ?, 443 ?, 444 ?, 449 S, 451 ?, 291 S^ 
412 $ , 451a pull. 
There is not much variation among the adult birds. Some 
are of a lighter yellow, while others are more rufous, but the 
differences are not great. The width of the white tips to the 
lateral rectrices in the males varies from 30 to 40 mm. ; the 
length of the wing varies from about 174 to 185 mm. On 
the interscapulum there is sometimes a small but well- 
marked patch without any white marks. In the females, 
which are of the same size as the males, the white patches on 
the primaries are bordered with bufi^, which colour gradually 
merges into the white ; and the rectrices, instead of being 
tipped with white, are tipped with butf. The width of the 
buff tip to the outermost rectrices varies from 20 to 25 mm. 
The young male (No. 426) has already moulted the 
rectrices and primaries, but the crissum, abdomen, and rump 
are still covered with the first fluffy feathers of the young. 
The pullus (March 27th) is covered with rufous-isabelline 
down ; that on the abdomen is white. The tubular nostrils 
are remarkably prominent. 
Our specimens of this most beautiful Nightjar were all 
obtained within a few miles of Shendi. The ground which 
they mostly seemed to prefer was of quite a distinctive nature ; 
it was generally sloping and was intermediate in character 
between the grassy scrub and the open desert ; the soil was 
not fine and earthy but coarse and gravelly, often with a 
