CUBSOEIIDJE. 



'J. Cursorius rufus. 



Cursorius rufus, Gould, P. Z. S. 1836, p. 81 ; id. Icones Av. pi. 10 

 (1837); Schley. Mus. Pays-Bas, Cursores, p. 13 (1865); Ayres, 

 Ibis, 1869, p. 299 (Transvaal, breeding); id. Ibis, 1871, p. 269 

 (Transvaal) ; id. Ibis, 1877, p. 347 (Potchefstroorn) ; id. Ibis, 

 1880, p. Ill (Rustenberg) ; Sharpe, ed. Layard" s B. S. Afr. p. 653 

 (1884); Ayres, Ibis, 1885, p. 347 (Transvaal, June to Sept.; 

 breeding) ; Seebohm, Ibis, 1886, p. 117; id. Geogr. Distr. Charadr. 

 p. 238 (1888) ; Symonds, Ibis, 1888, p. 334 (Kroonstadt). 



Tacbydroinus capensi-s, Swains. B. W. Afr. ii. p. 201 (1837). 



Tachvdromus burclielli, Swains. Classif. B. ii. p. 364 (1837) ; id. An. 

 inMenag.-p. 340 (1837). 



Cursorius burebelli, Gray, Gen. B. iii. p. 537 (1844) ; Layard, B. 

 S. Afr. p. 289 (1867 : Karoo ; Nel's Toort ; Beaufort ; Colesberg) ; 

 Gray,Hand-l.B. iii. p. 19, no. 10037 (1871) ; Holub $ Pelz. Beitr. 

 Orn. Sildafr. p. 246 (1882 : High plateau of S. Africa to Orange 

 River and Vaal River) ; Butler, Feilden, §• Reid, Zool. 1882, p. 340 

 (Natal). 



Tacbydroinus rufus, Heine fy Reichen. Nomencl. Mus. Hein. Orn. 

 p. 339 (1890: S. Africa). 



Adult male. General colour above rufous-brown, the wings like 

 the back, with a slight shade of ashy over the wing-coverts, the 

 greater series decidedly more ashy ; bastard-wing, primaiy-coverts, 

 and primaries black ; the secondaries ashy with broad white ends, 

 forming a broad terminal band ; the white increasing on the inner 

 web of the inner secondaries, which are somewhat rufescent ex- 

 ternally ; the innermost secondaries rufous-brown like the scapulars ; 

 rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail-feathers ashy grey, the latter 

 tipped with a black band, which becomes sub-terminal on the outer 

 feathers, which have white ends ; the outermost feather almost 

 entirely white, with a gre} T base and a sub-terminal spot near the end 

 of the. inner web ; forehead cinnamon-rufous, as well as the fore part 

 of the crown ; centre and hinder crown bluish grey, with a black patch 

 on the nape, surrounded by a broad band of white, which extends to 

 the hinder part of the eye ; lores and feathers below the eye whitish 

 Avith a rufescent tinge ; cheeks and ear-coverts cinnamon-rufous, 

 separated from the white eyebrow by a line of black ; throat white ; 

 remainder of under surface of body rufous-drab, paler on the chest ; 

 a black patch on the lower breast; abdomen, thighs, and under 

 tail-coverts white ; axillaries ashy brown, white at the ends ; under 

 wing-coverts black, the inner ones rufous-brown ; the long inner 

 greater coverts white for their terminal half : " bill dusky, the 

 lower mandible pale at the base ; tarsi and feet white ; iris verv 

 dark hazel " (T. Ayres). Total length 7'5 inches, culmen 1, wing 

 5-25, tail 1-8, tarsus 1-85. 



Adult female. Similar to the male in colour. Total length 

 9 inches, culmen 1, wing 5-4, tail 2-15, tarsus 1"9. 



Hab. South Africa, below the Orange River on the west, but 

 ranging as high as Matabele-land on the east. 



a, b. Ad. etjuv. Cape Colony {Layard ; Anders- Seebohm Coll. 



sk. son). 



