CREAM-COLOURED SWIFTFOOT. 315 



THE CREAM-COLOURED SWIFTFOOT, CURSORIUS 

 EUROPJEUS. Cursorius Europeus, Lath. C. Isa- 

 lellinus, Meyer > etc. Courvite Isabelle, Temm. 

 Cream -Coloured Courser or Swiftfoot of British, 

 authors. This interesting bird appears to be of ex- 

 treme rarity both in Britain and upon the continent, 

 all the instances of its occurrence being capable 

 of being enumerated within the limits of a page. 

 Four specimens seem only to be noted, at the pre- 

 sent time, as having been killed in Britain, the 

 first in Kent, which was presented to Dr. Latham, 

 and served for his description of the bird ; another 

 in North Wales ; a third in Yorkshire ; and the last 

 in Charnwood Forest, Leicestershire. No examples 

 have occurred either in Scotland or Ireland. On 

 the continent, stray specimens are mentioned by dif- 

 ferent writers as being met with, but the instances 

 are extremely few. Africa appears to be its most 

 abundant locality, or its stronghold; but little is 

 known either of its habits or nidification, the speci- 

 mens which have been observed here being in loca- 

 lities foreign to their habits. The other species of 

 the genus are natives of Africa and India, frequent 

 extensive dry plains or sandy deserts, and have both 

 a powerful flight, and run with extreme swiftness, 

 as the name implies, and which may be at once seen 

 from the structure of the feet and legs. 



The crown is pale buff-orange, shading into grey ; 

 on the hind head there is a triangular, spot of black, 

 terminating in a streak from the posterior angle of 



