61 BRITISH BIRDS. 



1840. Marsh Capel, Lincolnshire (Saunders's ed. Yarr. Brit. B. iii. 

 p. 240). 



1846, November 9th. Cheswick, Northumberland (Harting, Handbook 



Brit. B. p. 132). 



1847, Autumn. Blakeney, Norfolk (Stevenson, B. of Norfolk, ii. p. 49) . 

 1853, Hunting-season. Batcombe Hill, Dorset (Mansell-Pleydell, B. of 



Dorset, p. 25). 

 1855, Autumn. Nestacre, Norfolk (Stevenson, B. of Norfolk, ii. p. 49). 



1855, October 2nd. Salisbury Plain (Gardener, ' Zoologist/ 1855, 



p. 4913). 



1856, October. Braunton Burrows, North Devon (M. A. Matthews, 



1 Zoologist/ 1857, p. 5346). Two seen, one shot. 

 1858, October 19th. Hackney Marshes, Middlesex (Newman, ' Zoologist/ 



1858, p. 6309). 

 1860, March. Braunton Burrows, North Devon (G. F. Mathew, 



'Zoologist/ 1860, p. 6980). Two seen. 

 1860, Autumn. Saint Michaels-on-"Wyre, Lancashire (Saunders's ed. 



Yarr. Brit. B. iii. p. 241). 

 1864, October. Mary port, Cumberland (Allis, 'Zoologist/ 1865, 



p. 9418). 



1866, October. Sandwich, Kent (Harding, 'Zoologist/ 1866, p. 523). 

 1868, October 8th. Lanark, Scotland (Walker, 'Zoologist/ 1868, 



p. 1459). 

 1870, November. Goswick, Northumberland (Gurney, 'Zoologist/ 



1871, pp. 2522, 2562) . 



The Cream-coloured Courser is only an accidental visitor to Europe. It 

 breeds in the Canary Islands, the whole of North Africa, Arabia, Persia, 

 Baluchistan, the Punjaub, Scind, and Rajputana. In Europe it has 

 occurred once in Holland, several times in Germany, and more often in 

 France, Spain, and Italy. It is said to be an occasional straggler into 

 South Russia from the Trans-Caucasian steppes, which are apparently the 

 northern limit of its breeding-range ; and Canon Tristram met with it on 

 the coast of Palestine, where it may possibly breed. The Cream-coloured 

 Courser may almost be regarded as a resident bird, but there is said to be 

 a partial migration southwards in autumn. 



The Cream-coloured Courser has no very near ally. In India it is 

 represented by Cursorius coromandelicus, in West Africa by C, senegalensis, 

 and in South Africa by C. burchelli, all of which are tropical forms easily 

 distinguished at a glance by having the colour of the lower breast dark 

 chestnut. 



It is very difficult to account for the great number of occurrences of the 

 Cream-coloured Courser in the British Islands. The fact that nearly all 

 the specimens obtained have been shot in autumn looks like an arrival of 



