The Zoologist— February, 1873. 3389 



of these flocks do not remain in the country to breed, but pass on into 

 Europe, returning again in October or November ou their way south. 

 When I met with them their chief food consisted of locusts, -which were 

 extremely abundant." — P. 227. 



The creamcoloured courser is so rare a bird with us that the least 

 scrap of intelligence respecting it is eagerly sought and most thank- 

 fully received. Mr. Shelley seems to have met with it only once, 

 but that once afforded him an excellent opportunity of observing 

 and recording the cursorial powers from which it has received its 

 most appropriate name : my reader is referred to Mr. Harting's 

 'Handbook' for the particulars of the score of specimens which 

 have been observed in Great Britain. The following is Mr. Shelley's 

 account of his interview with these birds: it seems to have ter- 

 minated greatly to their disadvantage. 



" This species, although a resident, is not very abundant in either 

 Egypt or Nubia. It is a desert bird, preferring the sandy wastes to 

 the more cultivated parts, and is generally to be met with in small 

 flocks, probably consisting of the last year's brood. I myself only 

 found it on one occasion, on the 4th of February, opposite Aboo- 

 fayda, where I had a most exciting chase, as I bad recognized the birds, 

 and was anxious to procure a specimen. They were four in number, 

 and very shy ; they, however, preferred running to flying, never re- 

 maining long on the wing. Finding that I could not stalk them in the 

 ordinary way, I drove them towards a bush, and then making a long round 

 got up to that piece of covert, and shot one. and broke the leg of a second. 

 This wounded bird detained the other two, and enabled me to procure one 

 of them. The wounded one was now alone, and so shy that I had great 

 difficulty in procuring it, which I finally succeeded in doing by walking on 

 one side instead of directly towards it, when it crouched on the sand, hoping 

 to be passed unobserved ; and thus, after an hour's pursuit, I obtained my 

 third specimen." — P. 227. 



I do not recollect a single instance in which that singular bird 

 the spurwinged plover has vouchsafed to pay us Britons a visit: it 

 is distinguished by the possession of a sharp black spur on the 

 carpal joint of the wing. Mr. Shelley has not recorded any 

 observation as to the use of this extraordinary but not unique 

 armature; but perhaps he concludes all his readers should be 

 already informed on its pugnacious or defensive habits: it is a 

 common thing for authors to assume too much knowledge on the 



SECOND SERIES — VOL. VIII. H 



