5 ° 
allen’s naturalist’s library. 
the earth, which becomes a little more evident as the period 
of incubation progresses. 
Eggs. — Only two in number, of a peculiar shape, being equally 
rounded at either end, like those of Swifts, and still more like 
those of Sand-Grouse. They are very light in colour, being 
pure white, or creamy-white, with two kinds of markings or 
spots. The underlying ones are of a violet-grey colour, and 
always visible, while the distinctive spots are brown, either 
light or dark, and distributed over the egg in different ways, 
either as spots, or large blotches, or lines. Axis, i‘2-i‘35 
inch ; diameter, o'85-o'95. 
II. THE ISABELLINE NIGHT-JAR. CAPRIMULGUS .EGYPTIUS. 
Caprimitlgus agyptms, Licht. Verz. Doubl. p. 59 (1823); 
Dresser, B. Eur. iv. p. 629, pi. 272 (1877) ; Seebohm, Hist. 
Br. B. ii. p. 315 (1884); Saunders, Man. Br. B. p. 260 
{1889) ; Hartert, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xvi. p. 562 (1892). 
Adult Male. — Very pale in colour, isabelline and sandy-buff, 
with blackishmarkings pronounced on the head and again on 
the scapulars, where they are larger; quills deep brown, ex- 
ternally spotted or banded w’ith brownish-buff, the inner webs 
notched with white for some distance, but not quite reaching 
to the shaft; tail-feathers like the back, but banded with 
black, the outer feathers becoming more uniform near the 
tips ; under surface of body very pale, with two distinct spots 
of white on the throat ; abdomen pale sandy-isabelline, with 
narrow bars of blackish, which disappear on the lower abdomen, 
but are again distinct on the under tail-coverts ; bill dark 
brown; feet reddish-brown; iris black. _ Total length, 10-5 
inches ; culmen, o'55 ; wing, about 8 ; tail, 5-1 ; tarsus, o-8. 
Adult Female. — Similar to the male. Total length, io-6 
inches ; wing, 8'5. 
Young.— Similar to the adults, but rather more rufous. 
Characters. — Distinguished from C. europans by its paler 
coloration, and by the pattern on the inner web of the primary 
quills, these being indented with white. 
Range in Great Britain. — An accidental visitor, having occurred 
