26 cursorius. 



Family II. CURSORIID^. 



• Nostrils schizorhinal (except Pluvianus). 



Palate schizognathous. 



Basipterygoid processes absent. 



Tarsus transversely scaled in front. 



Young covered with down at birth and able to run in a few 

 hours. 



Egg white {Dromas), or thickly blotched and scribbled (Cursorius 

 and Glareola). 



On account of its holorhinal nostrils Pluvianus is associated 

 by Mr. Seebohm with the (Edicnemidce. Its relations, however, are 

 so manifestly with Cursorius that it is better to subordinate the 

 character of the nostrils and to place the genus with the other 

 Coursers, as has been done by Dr. Gadow. 



Dromas is placed by both the above-named naturalists in this 

 same division, but to my mind it stands quite alone, its peculiar 

 mode of nesting proving that it is neither a Courser nor a Thick- 

 knee.* 



Ortyxelus has been relegated to the Charadrii by my colleague 

 Mr. Ogilvie-Grant, who considers that it is a Courser and not a 

 Turnicine form. It is, of course, impossible to determine this 

 question without an examination of the anatomy and osteology of 

 the genus, but I have placed it provisionally with the Coursers. 

 It is to be noticed, however, that Mr. F. J. Jackson, who 

 obtained Ortyxelus in Turquel, entered it in his field-notes as a 

 " Little Courser." 



Key to the Genera. 



a. Middle claw pectinated, the claw only 



slightly extending beyond the end of 

 the toe itself; nostril pierced in the bill 

 itself; no operculum ; hill straight or 

 nearly so along the culmen ; the angle of 

 the genys placed very far hack, much 

 nearer to the gape than to the .apex of the 

 mandible ; quills pointed, the primaries 

 exceeding the secondaries in length, falling 

 short of the tip of the tail, which again 

 falls short of the outstretched legs ; black 

 dorsal feathers elongated 1. Dromas, p. 27. 



b. No pectination on the middle claw, which is 



slightly swoilen on its inner aspect ; wings 



* Cf. Sharpe, Olassif. B. p. 72. 



