133 



induced to offer an emendatory note to the first article, that on the Swiftfoot 

 ( Cursorius isabellinus ) , by Dr. Palmer. The author has followed an excellent 

 plan in joining to his interesting sketch of that beautiful and graceful species a 

 brief notice of the remainder of the genus. He errs, however, in supposing that 

 these are only two in number, viz., the Coromandel Swiftfoot ( C. Asiaticus) and 

 the double-collared species ( C. bicinctus). It is true that when M. Temminck, 

 about sixteen years ago, published the second edition of his Manuel d" Ornitholo- 

 gie, the three birds above named were all that had been discovered of the genus 

 in question. But several years have elapsed since Mr. Swainson (in his Zoolo- 

 gical Illustrations, plate 106) figured and described a fourth species, under the 

 name of C. Temminclcii ; and more recently the Dutch ornithologist himself has 

 described a fifth species, under the name of C. chalcopterus (Planches Enlum., 

 268). Both of these are said to be natives of Western Africa. Thus the genus 

 Cursorius, though more noted (as its name implies) for its running than its 

 flying powers, occurs in countries not only widely distant from each other, but 

 separated by an intermediate ocean of some thousand miles. In regard to the 

 species which is figured in the first number, it might have been as well to 

 have added, as a synonym, the title of Cursorius Europceus, which it bears in 

 Mr. Latham's work (Index. Orn., ii., 751). Dr. Palmer is, however, quite 

 right in adopting, as the specific title, that of isabellinus, bestowed by Meyer (in 

 his Tasschenbuch Deut., ii., 328). The appearance of the bird in question in our 

 division of the globe is entirely casual, and the application of Europceus is most 

 inapplicable to a species which never voluntarily abandons the warmer regions of 

 more sunny climes. It has never been known to breed in Europe, and is so rare 

 in Britain that one of the only three recorded captures was purchased, by Mr. 

 Donovan, at the extraordinary price of eighty-three guineas. It has been only 

 once taken in France, and once in Austria. Sig. Ilanzani makes no mention of its 

 having ever occurred in Italy. In Africa it is said to be more abundant in Abys- 

 sinia than elsewhere ; and you may judge of the vast extent of its geographical dis- 

 tribution when I inform you that several specimens were received by Professor 

 Jameson, some years ago, from the southern base of the Himmalah Mountains. 

 The geographical relations, then, of the genus Cursorius, and its amount of spe- 

 cies, I conceive to be as follows : — 



1. Cursorius isabellinus. Africa and Asia : accidental in Europe. 



2. C. asiaticus. Asia and Africa. 



3. C. bicinctus. Africa. 



4. C. Temminckii. Africa. 



5. C. chalcopterus. Africa. 



Scarcely anything is known of the habits or natural history, properly so called, 

 of any of these birds. 



