86 NATURE AND SPORT IN SOUTH AFRICA 



I have never seen this courser in South Africa, 

 where its occurrence must, I think, be extremely rare ; 

 nor have I ever heard of a specimen being shot since 

 Andersson's time (1867). It is worthy of note, as 

 instancing the migratory instinct of this species, that 

 Andersson found it in Ovampoland in the month of 

 January, the middle period of the rains in this part 

 of South Africa. 



The two remaining species of courser found in 

 South Africa are Burchell's courser (G. hiiTchellii) and 

 the Senegal courser {0. senegalensis). These bear a 

 very strong resemblance to one another, and are 

 often scarcely to be separately identified when seen 

 running along the plains, upon which they invariably 

 have their habitat. Burchell's species is, however, 

 much the commoner bird, and is found all the year 

 round in nearly every open part of South Africa, from 

 the Karroo northward. There is little to choose in 

 size between this species, but the Senegal courser 

 may be identified by its stronger rufous colouring, 

 and by the more pronounced black patch in the 

 centre of the belly-feathering. If anything, the 

 Senegal courser is inferior in size. In South Africa 

 these birds are, I fancy, seldom, if ever, separately 

 identified. The Senegal courser is, like its near 

 congener, C. Ucrchellii, a bird of extremely beautiful 

 colouring. The rufous head and neck, clear white 

 aiid black half ring crowning the head behind the 



