Birds of Gran Canaria. 579 



CuRsoRius GALLicus. Cream-colourecl Courser. 



Cursorius gaUicus Ilartert, Nov. Zool. 1901, p. 332 ; 

 Thanner, Orn. Jalirb. xxi. p. 98 (1910). 



a, b. cJ ? . Plain between the " Cliarco '^ and Mas- 

 palomas Village. 25 th Feb. '12. 



c, d. (^ ? . Sandhills near jMaspalomas Village. 28th 

 Feb. ^12. 



Iris dark brown ; bill black ; feet white^ soles j'cllow. 



The true home of the Courser in Gran Canaria is on the 

 sandy plains which surround the " Cliarco ■" of Maspalomas. 

 Here it breeds nndisturbed, and, I am glad to say, the 

 numbers must be considerably on the increase. At the time 

 of my visit, in February 1912, there were, I should say, several 

 liundrcd birds in the vicinity. I did not meet with any 

 until within about a mile of the " Charco/^ and there they 

 became numerous. At the time we were passing over an 

 elevated sandy plateau close to the sea. This in turn gave 

 way to sand-dunes, with which the birds harmonized so 

 exactly in colour that they Avere difficult at first to make 

 out. They usually betrayed their presence by running some 

 time before taking flight. When flying the black under- 

 ■\ving is most conspicuous. They were seldom seen in pairs, 

 but used to feed in small flocks of half a dozen birds or 

 more scattered over the ground ^'in open order," with 

 several yards between each bird. As we drew near to a 

 flock they would all run swiftly behind some rise in the 

 ground and then remain still. I found them ridiculously 

 easy to obtain, never flying far even when shot at. The 

 cry consisted of a sharp piping note twice repeated, and was 

 often uttered while on the wing. Mr. Meade-Waldo dis- 

 covered Coursers breeding in Fuerteventura, and took the 

 young in down on March 21'th. In Gran Canaria they did 

 not appear to have commenced laying by the end of 

 February. Herr von Thanner met with these birds between 

 Telde and Arguineguin, and although I did not actually see 

 any myself until after leaving Juan Grande, yet there is no 

 reason wdiy they should not occur there, the ground being 

 quite suitable to their habits. 



