116 Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Cursorius, 



was left by Dr. Hartlaub ; but the lapse of twenty years has 

 added something to our knowledge of geographical distribu- 

 tion which is worth recording. I have also endeavoured^ iu 

 every case, to give an absolute diagnosis of each species, 

 without increasing the length of my paper by adding other 

 details of description. 



1. Cursorius somalensis, sp. nor. 



I cannot agree with Capt. Shelley that the example of the 

 Somali Courser obtained by Mr. Lort Phillij)s (Shelley, 

 Ibis, 1885, p. 415) represents merely a local race of the 

 Cream-coloured Courser^. It appears to me to be a good 

 species, which may be diagnosed as having the hind head 

 slate-grey (like C. gallicns and C. riifus), but the axillaries 

 and under wing-coverts greyish huff (instead of nearly black) . 

 It further differs from C. gaUicus in the following particu- 

 lars: — It is amuch smaller bird, the wing measuring 5*3 inches 

 instead of from 6"0 to 6*3 inches ; nevertheless it appears to 

 have longer though more slender legs, the tarsus measuring 

 2'3 inches instead of from 2'1 to 2*3 inches. The colour of 

 the back and wing- coverts is much darker. The subterrainal 

 black bands on the tail are twice as broad, and are also 

 traceable on the centre tail-feathers. Finally, the black 

 margins of the inner webs of the secondaries scarcely occupy 

 a fifth part of the web instead of more than half. 



The species is only known from a single example ; but 

 Mr. Lort Phillips states that it was fairly common in small 

 flocks throughout the plateau. 



2. Cursorius gallicus. 



The Cream-coloured Courser has the axillaries and under 

 wing-coverts nearly black, and the outer weh of the secon- 

 daries buf. No other Courser fulfils both these conditions. 

 The nearly black axillaries and under wing-coverts are found 

 even in young in first plumage, showing the importance of 

 the character; but the slate-grey hind head and the black 

 belly are characters which only appear after the first moult. 

 The bufl" outer webs of the secondaries are, however, found 

 at all ages. 



* [" Cursorius (/allicits somalensis, subsp. n. ; subspecific race," are 

 Capt. Shelley's exact words. — Edd.] 



