2i6 
Annals of the Transvaal Museum 
Caprimulgidae 
The genus Caprimulgus of text-books contains a number of generic 
groups which should be recognised, taxonomers having been misled by 
the similarity of their plumage, small, but important, differences being 
ignored. Caprimulgus europaeus, the type of Caprimulgus, is characterised 
by its long wings (measuring over 8 inches in length) and in having only the 
second and third primaries emarginate on the outer web, the emargination 
situate anterior to the tip of the fifth primary. The other South African 
species all have the fourth as well as the preceding three emarginate on the 
outer web. Of these, C. trimaculatus Swainson is readily differentiated 
from the rest by its greater size, the wing measuring over seven inches 
in length; it may be given generic rank under the name of Nycticircus 
gen. nov. Of the remaining species, C. rufigena A. Smith may be given 
generic rank under the new name of Nyctictypus, characterised by having 
the outermost primary longer than the fourth, which is always short of 
the third by about the length of the tarsus. C. pectoralis and C. fervidus 
have the proportion of the length of the tail to the wing about the same 
as in Nyctictypus (75-80 per cent.), but are slightly larger in size and have 
the outermost primary shorter than the fourth; these species may be 
referred to a new genus, Nyctisyrigmus, genotype C. pectoralis Cuvier. 
C. fossei Hartlaub has the outermost primary equal to the fourth and the 
tail 80 to 90 per cent, of the length of the wing ; I would refer it to a new 
genus bearing the name of Crotema. Finally, Caprimulgus natalensis A. 
Smith, monotype of the genus Capripeda Bonaparte (cf. Richmond, Proc. 
U.S. Nat. Mus. Liii. 582, 1917) differs from all the preceding in having 
the tail only about two-thirds of the length of the wing, the tarsus very 
little feathered, but with the wing formula of Nyctisyrigmus. 
C. Grant {This, 1915, p. 306) recognises Caprimulgus lentiginosus A. 
Smith as a subspecies of trimaculatus. Our Standardwing Nightjar should 
bear the generic name of Cosmetornis, not Macrodipteryx. 
Macropterygidae 
Oberholser (Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. xxviii. 860, 1905) has separated the 
African Palm Swifts under the generic name of T achynautes ; at the same 
place he has recognised eastern and western subspecies based upon the 
wing length instead of the coloration; but, according to specimens in the 
Transvaal Museum collection, the wing length appears to vary, but eastern 
specimens (Beira and Boror) are dark (agreeing with the description of 
myochrous Reichenow) and a western (Walvis Bay) specimen is very pale, 
apparently referable to parvus. 
The generic name of Apus is rejected by Oberholser (l.c.) owing to the 
earlier use of the name of Apos, the name of Micropus being used instead. 
This genus contains too many widely different groups to be considered 
a natural genus as it now stands. I would therefore classify them as 
follows : 
1. Size very large, wing well over inches in length; abdomen white, rump 
not white: Tachymarptis gen. nov., type Hirundo melha L. 
Size smaller, wing under 7^ inches in length; abdomen not white : 2. 
2. Rump white : 3. 
Rump not white: Micropus. 
