234 



Catalogue of the Birds 



|]ApRir 



however, partly on age. I shall here give a brief description—platnage 

 generally of a light cinereous, very much mottled with black and dusky, 

 and in parts tinged w ith light fawn and cream colour ; ears black, 

 €dged with light rufous; line below the ears extending along the 

 gape, and throat spot, white. White marks on the four quills small. All 

 the tail feathers, except the two centre ones, tipped with white, with a 

 dusky margin. Wing not reaching to the end of tail which is long. 



Length 11^ inches ; wing 7 2 J tail Sy^^-ths; tarsus, feathered to the 

 toes, not quite y^ths. 



Besides the differences above mentioned, the inner surface of the 

 quills are represented in Hardwicke's drawing as being spotted on both 

 sides with rufous white. In ray specimen the external quill alone is 

 spotted on the outer web only, and with very minute whitish marks. 



I have only seen this w«V//^/;;ttr on the summit of the Neiloherries, 

 frequenting the stony hills, and during the day taking refuge in the 

 woods, 



252. — C. Asiatirus, Lath. Small nigkt'jar. 



The species which I shall for the {^resent consider as the C. Asiaticus 

 of Latham, is the smallest and most generally spread of all the Indian 

 night-jars. I have found it in the Carnatic, west coast and Northern 

 Circars, but not yet seen it on the table land, where, however, it was 

 obtained by Col. Sykes. My specimens differ from the figure in Hard- 

 W'icke's Illustrations, in wanting the black ear and sides of throat, but 

 appears to resemble it much in other respects. 



Length 8| ; of wing 5i ; tail 4J ; tarsus -j-^^hs. 



253. —C. Mahrattensis, Sykes?— New Species?— C. Asia tic us. -^y^r. ? 

 This night-jar, which for the present I place under Col. Sykes' new 



species with doubt, very much resembles the last in the general distri- 

 bution of the colours, but it is of a lighter tint throughout, and the 

 rufous of the last is replaced in parts by a lighter or cream coloured 

 hue. It much resembles the drawing of C. Asiaticus in Gray and 

 Hardwicke, with which I suspect it is identical. It differs from Col. 

 Sykes* description of his Mahrattensis ^ in having a sub-rufous or fawn 

 coloured collar on the nape of the neck, and in the size and length of 

 the tail, as given by Sykes, whose species, if these are permanent dif- 

 ferencfs, is probably a different, though nearly allied bird, as it is stated 

 by Sykes to have the two external tail feathers, only, tipped with white, 

 like these two last ones, which after all 1 suspect may be perhaps but 

 mere varieties, this one diiFering chiefly in size, and the lightness of 



