Mr. H. Seebohm on the Genus Cursorius. 117 



It breeds in the Canary Islands, the whole of North Africa, 

 and in Arabia, Persia, Beluchistan, the Punjaub, Sind, and 

 Rajputana. It does not breed north of the Trans-Caucasian 

 steppes, but occasionally strays into Europe. 



3. Cursorius rufus. 



BurclielFs Courser combines the two characters of having 

 the hi7id head slate-grey and of having dark brown or black 

 on the belly ; but as neither of these characters appear in 

 young in first plumage, it is safer to diagnose the species by 

 the pattern of colour on the secondaries, which is constant at 

 all ages. The middle secondary is white, with the basal two 

 thirds of the outer web and the basal third of the inner web 

 brown. 



This species is confined to South Africa, where it is found 

 in the Transvaal, Natal, and the Cape Colony. 



4. Cursorius senegalensis. 



Lichtenstein's Courser is the only species of the genus 

 which has a black belly, but neither white upper tail-coverts 

 nor a slate-grey hind head. However, as the first and last 

 of these characters are only found in adult birds, a second 

 diagnosis is necessary, which will also apply to the young in 

 first plumage. This is easily found in the unique pattern of 

 the secondaries. The white is shaped like a thin wedge, the 

 base of which runs out at the tip, whilst the thin end splits 

 the brown of the inner web almost into halves. 



This species has an extensive range in the Ethiopian Region 

 from Senegambia in the west to Kordofan in the east and the 

 Cape Colony in the south. 



5. Cursorius coromandelicus. 



The Indian Courser, at the first glance, looks little more 

 than a large form of Lichtenstein^s Courser ; but when 

 carefully examined, it presents many important points of 

 difference besides that of size. It is the only Courser 

 that combines the two characters of white upper tail-coverts 

 and black under iving -coverts. As both these characters are 

 found in the young in first plumage, a second diagnosis is not 

 necessary. 



