38 CAPKIMULGID^ CAPEIMULGUS 



cylindrical, and equally rounded at both ends. Mr. Layard writes : 

 " At Mr. Vigne's farm, on the Zonder End river (in the Galedon 

 division), a bird of this species has hatched her eggs for several 

 successive years in a flower bed close to a well- used path. I saw 

 her sitting in the beginning of November ; she allowed me to 

 approach within two or three feet of her and never once moved 

 from her nest, although I visited her daily. Her eyes were always 

 closed to within a mere thread-like crack, out of which she watched 

 every movement, and she generally rested her head upon a small 

 dead branch that lay beside the nest." 



396. Caprimulgas trimaculatus. Freckled Nightjar. 



Sootornis trimaculatus, Swains. B. W. Afr. ii, p. 70 (1837). 



Caprimulgus lentiginosus, Smith,, III. Zool. S. Afr. Aves, pi. 101 (1845) ; 

 Strichland and Scl. Contr. Orn. 1852, p. 143 [Damaraland] ; Layard 

 B. S. Afr. p. 47 (1867) ; Qurney in Andersson's B. Damaraland, 

 p. 45 (1872) ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. pp. 87, 803 (1875-84) ; 

 Ayres, Ibis, 1879, . p. 288 [Eustenburg] ; Hartert, Cat. B. M. xvi, 

 p. 536 (1892) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 106 (1896). 



Caprimulgus trimaculatus, Hartert, Tierreich, Podarg. p. 55 (1897). 



Description. Adult. — Very dark brown above, blackish with 

 minute vermiculations, and spots of pale brownish and larger ones 

 of orange-buff on the scapulars and hind neck, these often con- 

 cealed ; quills deep brown with ferruginous spots and bands princi- 

 pally obvious on the inner ones ; the first four primaries (sometimes 

 only three) with rounded white spots on the inner webs ; tail very 

 dark, the two outer rectrices with large subterminal white spots 

 chiefly on the inner webs ; two white spots on the throat ; breast 

 blackish-grey with isabelline spots ; abdomen ochreous-buff with 

 blackish bars. 



Iris umber ; bill, legs, and feet dusky. 



Length about 11-0; wing 7-8 ; tail 5-7 ; tarsus 0-7. 



The specimens without white tail- spots are females. Young 

 birds are paler, have more rufous on the primaries, and are without 

 distinct white spots on the throat or tail. This species is distin- 

 guished by its size from all South African Nightjars except 

 G. europcBus, and by its scapulars which are not differently marked 

 from the rest of the upper surface. 



Distribution. — This is apparently a rare bird; the types of 

 G. lentiginosus of Smith were obtained in Namaqualand, whence 



