AFRICAN LONG-TAILED NIGHT-JAR. 69 
rounded or even, but in Scotomis it is generally 
much, longer and more graduated than in Capri- 
mulgus. We therefore conclude, that the bird we 
are now about to describe is a typical species ; it is 
one of the most common birds of Senegal, but we 
know not whether it is found in other parts of 
Africa. 
Size rather smaller than the long-shafted species, 
although, from the developement of its tail, it is 
much longer. The bristles considerably exceed the 
length of the bill ; the third quill is longest ; the 
first is rather shorter than the fourth, while the fifth 
quill is eight-tenths of an inch shorter than the 
fourth. The tail is veiy long, measuring from the 
base nine inches, of which three and a quarter are 
occasioned by the two middle tail-feathers exceeding 
the others ; the latter, also, are four inches and three- 
quarters longer than the outermost pair ; the outer 
lateral toe is four and one-tenth of an inch shorter 
than the inner. 
The ground colour of the plumage is of that 
peculiar light ferruginous brown, which is almost 
restricted to the African species, varied with the 
usual dark freckles. The chin and rictal stripe is 
white ; the lesser wing-covers have a broad band at 
their tips of white, and the greater have a terminal 
spot of cream-colour, much smaller than the former. 
The ground colour of the five primary quills is 
entirely black, without any rufous, their tips only 
being freckled with grey; but they are crossed in 
the middle by a broad band of a snowy whiteness, 
