1845.] or little known species of Birds. 207 



black : the primaries underneath have no rufous bars whatever, or 

 mottlings either at base or tip, and these are but imperfectly developed 

 towards the base of the tail underneath : but the white spots on the 

 middle of the primaries, and largely tipping the two outer tail-feathers, 

 are the same as in the others. There is also the same conspicuous 

 white mark in front of the neck, which is represented by pale buff in 

 the female. The latter is altogether browner and less ashy, particular- 

 ly on the head and neck ; but is still considerably darker than the 

 males of the other species ; the contrast of the dark breast and pale belly 

 and vent is much less decided ; the primaries are barred at base with 

 rufous, and slightly so towards the tip, the white of the male being re- 

 presented by a contracted rufous bar ; and the two outer tail-feathers 

 are also much more narrowly tipped, with rufescent instead of pure 

 white. On comparison of these three species together, particularly 

 with a good series of specimens, it is impossible not to regard them as 

 distinct, however nearly allied, 



The other Indian species are — 



4. C. asiaticus, Lath. ; C. pectoralis, Cuv., Levaillant, Ois. d'Afr., pi. 

 XLIX, apud Diet. Class. ; Bombay Goatsucker, Latham. This small, 

 common, and generally diffused species over the country, is allied in co- 

 louring to the three last, but has the tarse bare, and the sexes are alike in 

 plumage. Mr Jerdon is " still inclined to believe that the species 

 figured by Hardwicke and Gray as asiaticus, differs from the common 

 kind. I obtained," he adds, " what answers to this very closely in 

 the north of the Deccan. It differs from the common one in its larger 

 size, more prevalent and lighter grey tint of the plumage, and in some 

 other trifling points ; but I have now no specimens for comparison." 

 Could this have been C. mahrattensis ? I certainly think there can be 

 little doubt that Hardwicke's figure was taken from a Bengal specimen, 

 and is meant to represent the common species. C. affinis, Horsfield, is 

 a Javanese species allied to the present one, and this and macrurus are 

 the only kinds noticed in Dr. Horsfield's list of the birds of Java ; 

 while, in Sumatra, Sir Stamford Raffles also speaks of but " two va- 

 rieties, one with much brighter and more marked colours than the 

 other. They are very abundant in the neighbourhood of Bencoolen." 

 Different species of Lyncornis, as well as of Batrachostomus, are how- 

 ever common in the vicinity of the Straits, and the former of these 

 would have been classed by Raffles in Caprimulgus. 



