66 BRITISH BIRDS. 



itself. In the Punjaub the nest is sometimes amongst stubble, under a 

 bush or near a clump of grass, or amongst jungle or on waste ground. 

 The eggs are sometimes two, more often three in number, never more. 

 The first eggs that were apparently known of this bird were laid in con- 

 finement, and from one solitary female the cabinets of most European 

 egg-collectors have been enriched. This valuable bird was in the possession 

 of Favier. In 1853 she laid eight eggs, the first on the 15th of May, and 

 the others at intervals up to the 25th of June. In 1854 she laid twelve 

 eggs, the first on the 17th of May and the last on the 28th of July. None 

 were laid in the following year, but in 1856 two eggs were laid on the 6th 

 and 7th of July. In 1857 ten more eggs were laid from May to July, but 

 in 1858 none were produced. In 1859 she produced four more between 

 the 6th of July and the 10th of August. One of these eggs, which I have 

 figured, is in my collection ; it is pale ochraceous buff in ground-colour, 

 thickly spotted, blotched, and freckled with huffish brown, and with nume- 

 rous underlying markings of grey, which give it a very marbled appearance. 

 Eggs from the Punjaub obtained by Hume are smaller and on an average 

 darker than those from North Africa; they vary in length from l - 4 to 

 I'l inch, and in breadth from I'l to 0'9 inch. The eggs of no British bird 

 can easily be mistaken for that of the Cream-coloured Courser. Hume 

 describes the nest as a small hollow from three to five inches in diameter, 

 and at most two inches in depth; sometimes it is lined with a little 

 dry grass, which may have lodged there accidentally. At the nest this 

 bird appears to be very tame. It is not known whether more than one 

 brood is reared in the year, or whether both birds assist in the duties of 

 incubation. After the breeding-season is over the birds seem to become 

 more gregarious, and often wander far from their summer-quarters during 

 the winter, wandering over the deserts and sand-plains like nomads. 



The general colour of the plumage of the Cream-coloured Courser is 

 sandy buff or isabelline colour, somewhat paler on the underparts, shading 

 into white on the under tail-coverts, and into lavender on the hind head. 

 A white streak passes from the lores, over each eye, to the nape, which is 

 black ; below this white streak another black line passes from behind the 

 eye to the hind neck. The primaries, axillaries, and under wing-coverts 

 are nearly black ; the secondaries are dark brown, with buff outer webs 

 and white tips ; the tail-feathers, except the two centre ones, are tipped 

 with white and barred subterminally with black. Bill black, paler at the 

 base of the lower mandible; legs and feet buff, claws brown ; irides hazel. 

 The female does not differ from the male in colour. It is not known that 

 winter plumage differs from that of summer. Young in first plumage are 

 without the black markings on the hind head, and most of the feathers, 

 both of the upper and under parts, have dark subterminal margins. 

 Young in down appear to be unknown. 



