CAPKIMULGUS ASIATICUS. 
(THE COMMON INDIAN NIGHTJAR.) 
The 
Caprimulqus asiaticm, Latham, Ind. Orn. ii. p. 588 (1790); ^7 & Hardmck^, 1 . • 
Orn i. pi. 34. fig. 2 (1832) ; Sykes, Cat. J. A. S. B. iii. no. 30 (1834) ; Blyth, Cat B 
Mus. A. S. B. p. 83. no. 415 (1849); Horsf. & Moore, Cat. B. Mus. E. I. Co. • P • ‘ J 
(1854) ; Iioldsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 419; Hume, Str. Feath. 1873, p. 432 ; id. Aes s 
and Eggs, p. 97 (1873); Adam, Str. Feath. 1873, p. 371; Legge, Ibis, 18/4, p. , 
et 1875, p. 281 ; Ball, Str. Feath. 1874, p. 385 ; Butler, ibid. 1875, p. 455. 
Indian Goatsucker , Kelaart ; Night-Hawk , Goatsucker , “ Ice-bird,” Europeans in 
Ceylon (the latter name from the resemblance in the bird’s note to a stone scudding on 
ice). 
Eim-bassa, Ea-bassa, Sinhalese ; Patliekai , Tamils in Ceylon. 
Mult male. Length 8-9 to 9-1 inches ; wing 5-65 to 5-8; tail 4-0 to 4-2 ; tarsus 0*85; middle toe and claw 0-8o to 
Iris deep brown feyeliVhght reddish yellow ; bill reddish or reddish brown, with the nostril and tips black ; legs and 
J hrnwnisli red darker at the ends of the toes, claws dark brown. 
lk'»d «p’ P » tail-coverts ~ . - £“3^ 
narrow mesial black line, and the whole finely pencilled with brown; scapulars with arrow-shaped ve v 7 ‘ 
centres, bounded by broad, rich buffi margins ; secondary wing-coverts with the terminal poi ions , P 8 
white at the edges; quills and primary-coverts dark brown, the latter, together wit le s.ecmciin ^ sQme 
reddish buffi; the primaries mottled with grey near the tips, the first with a 'Jite jot on th ta J featherB 
with a corresponding external pale edge) and a similar one on both webs of thenext t , 
cinereous, with narrow wavy cross bars; remainder blackish, with 
feathers with a terminal white spot (If inch in depth in old birds), the :1 P 
some dark mottling and its outer margin buffi. n .u throat divided by a 
Ear-coverts dark brown, beneath there is a narrow whitish neck . chest with ’the feathers 
buff-mottled patch in the centre, and continued as a buff l r round the witb br0W n on a buff 
across the centre deeply tipped with pale buff ; breast, flanks, and sides o y 
ground ; belly and under tail-coverts whitish buff, unbarred. 
Female. Length 8-4 to 8-6 inches ; wing 5-6 to 5-8. Bill paler than in the male, brownish olivaceous at the base and 
pane : less and feet brownish olive, claws brown. , ,, o m i 
Upper surface similar to male; quills paler, edges of primaries greyish near the taps , S P° ^ male; about j of ’ 
3rd, and 4th quids buff, in some examples wanting altogether ; tail-spots not so . g ■ • 
an inch in depth, the lateral margin of the outer tail-spot sullied with brown, except m old birds. 
Young. Iris as in adult; bill dusky olive-brown, the tip dark brown ; legs and feet brownish flcsl „ , I 
Above d plleror e i!rmarked with dark brown and black than 
buff, in others almost uniform with the back; quills tipped with ^ feuffj as k 
male than in the female ; the white spots on the outer webs of wit ° h bu ff and mottled 
also that on the inner web of the 4th qudl ; outer margin of the “fee wi h buff in those birds which have 
with brown ; exterior of lateral tail-feathers broadly edged and indented witn Dim 
richly marked scapulars. ^ g ^ t being; as in the adult, variable in its marking ; under surface 
rltuto jolg bird fluffy, aid tie meriting* undefined in older ..ample, i the gronnd-eolour » greyer tb... 
in adults ; under tail-coverts usually barred with brown. 
Note. This species and its allies have the tarsus bare and the tail-feathers as in the last. 
