106 CAPRlMULaiDJB. 



few being seen as late as the first week in November. Mr. Hume, in 

 describing this species, says, " It has the upper three-fourths of the 

 tarsus feathered, in front. In both sexes the two outer tail feathers 

 on each side are tipped with white ; but the tippings are about 

 1'55 and I'O broad in the male on the outer and penultimate feathers, 

 respectively, and only about 075 and 0'44 in the iemale, and 

 in the latter sex, the white is less pure. Both sexes have a white 

 spot on the inner webs of the first three, and a corresponding one 

 on the outer webs of the second and third primaries; but here again, 

 while the white spots on the inner webs of the male are about one 

 inch broad, those of the female are about half that size." He adds 

 " the best description I can give of its plumage is, that it is an exces- 

 sively pale version of G. Indicus, and that while (with the exception 

 of the difference In the size of the white markings on tail and wings) the 

 sexes closely resemble each other, the under tail-coverts of the male 

 are a uniform rufous buff, while those of the female are somewhat 

 paler and are very distinctly barred with narrow bars more than a 

 quarter of an inch apart" ; but Mr. W. T. Blanford, in a letter to the 

 " Ibis," vol. 1, 1877, pp. 249-250, states "that after examining all Mr. 

 Hume's specimens of this species with specimens of 0. Europoeus, 

 (a large English female and a male specimen from Europe,) the sex 

 of one of the types of 0. JJmvinii, was probably wrongly determined, 

 and that instead of being male and female, both skins are those of 

 males, and that they are quite distinct from C. Mahrattensis, and 

 belong to the pale grey race of G. Europoeus, of which he obtained 

 specimens in S. E. Persia." He adds " whilst the name of G. Unwinii 

 must become a synonym, G. Europoeus must be added to the Indian 

 fauna." 



The following is a description of Caprimulgus Europceus, Linn. : — 

 Plumage above and that of the throat ashy grey, thickly streaked 

 and spotted with brown, mostly of a yellowish tinge ; bead and neck 

 with longitudinal blackish streaks; a white stripe beneath the base 

 of the lower mandible extends along each side of the lower part of 

 the head, and there is a central patch of white upon the throat. Pri- 

 maries, secondaries, and tertiaries dark brown; the outer webs blotched 

 with reddish brown, and the three exterior feathers with a large white 

 patch near the tips of the inner webs. Tail irregularly marked and 

 indistinctly barred with blackish grey and yellowish brown; the two 

 external feathers on each side white at their termination ; plumage of 

 under parts yellowish brown ; tarsi paler. Female hke the male, the 

 white spots on quills and tail feathers absent. 



Length. — 10-3 to 10- 6 inches, expanse 21 inches, win? 6 to 6'2, tail 

 4-6 to 6. 



Caprimulgus asiaticus, Lath ; G^-ay, III. Ind. Zool. i. pi. 34 f. 

 2; Hume, Sir. F. vii. p. 169; id. viii. pp. 236, 417; id. ix. pp. 48, 

 150,380; Jerd. i. p. 197, No. 112; Murray, Hdbk., Zool., ^c, Sind, 

 p. 126. — The Common Indian Night-Jau. 



Plumage remarkably soft and lax, pale rufescent ashy; the feathers 

 finely pencilled and mottled with dusky; top of head with narrow 



