10 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — East Siberia, Mongolia, Manchuria, Sac- 

 halin, and Japan, in winter in Australia and Tasmania. Replaced 

 by C. caudacuta nudipes in the Himalayas and Assam Hills. 



Order CAPRIMULGI. 



Consists of the Nightjars or Goatsuckers. No families but 

 two subfamilies distinguished, only one, the Caprimulgince in 

 Old World, the other, Nyctibiince, being neotropical. 



Palate segithognathous (not schizognathous), rarely desmog- 

 nathous ; cervical vertebra? 13 or 14 ; basi -pterygoid processes 

 and oil-gland present ; sternum on hind-margin with large notch 

 on each side, without spina? or with very small spina interna ; 

 middle toe much the longest, its claw pectinated (except in Nycti- 

 biince), hind -toe comparatively short with 2 phalanges, outer with 4 

 phalanges only (except in Nyctibiince which have five). Eye very 

 large, mouth very deeply cleft. Long rictal bristles. Primaries 

 ten, rectrices ten ; skin very thin, feathers very soft and easily 

 coming off, with very small aftershaft. Young helpless, covered 

 with long sparse down. Eggs two, spotted, on ground without 

 nest. Nocturnal, insectivorous. Many tropical species, but only 

 six Palsearctic, two in Europe. 



Family CAPRIMULGIDyE. 



Characters same as those of Order Caprimulgi. 



Genus CAPRIMULGUS L. 



Caprimulgus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 193 (1758 — Type by 

 tautonymy : " caprimulgus," i.e. Caprimulgus europazus). 



Strong and long rictal bristles. Wings long and pointed, 

 2nd and 3rd primaries longest, 1st as a rule considerably shorter. 

 Tail more or less rounded. Tarsus more or less feathered. Sexes 

 in some cases similar, mostly different. Young more or less like 

 females. Palaearctic species migrants. Skin very thin and tender. 

 Eggs without nest on ground, clutch 2, spotted. Over 50 species, 

 nearly whole world, but absent from Arctic and Antarctic Regions 

 and many islands, including New Zealand. 



Key to species of genus Caprimulgus. 



Inner webs of primaries indented with white . . C. mgyptius, p. 15 

 Inner webs of primaries with single white spots . 2 



( Wide golden rufous nuchal band .... (7. ruficollis, p. 17 

 ( No golden rufous nuchal band C. europ&us, p. 11 



