23



THE


Hvtcultural flfoagasme,


BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE


AVICULTURAL SOCI ETY.



New Series —VO L. VI. —No. 1 .—All rights reserved. NOVEMBER, 1907.



THE DOUBLE-BANDED COURSER.


(Rhinophilus bicinctusJ .


By Captain Boyd Horsbrugh, A.S.C., F.Z.S.


In April, 1905, I was shooting Quail along the banks of

the Modder River in the O.R.C., I was walking in some longish

grass when I saw two Rufous Coursers (Cursorhis rufus) get up

and I was going to shoot when I noticed that they were accom¬

panied by a young one, so lowered my gun.


They settled within a hundred yards, and on going up to

the place I saw the young bird squatting like a baby lapwing. I

picked him up and took him home to my aviary, and for the first

few days fed him on white ants and mealworms. I had to watch

him closely while he ate the latter as the various Bulbuls, etc.,

were much too near them to give a stupid baby much of a

chance. When I caught him he was simply covered with bird

lice, but a dusting of Keating’s insect powder soon got rid of

them.


Some weeks later I got a young Rufous Courser, which is

the same sized bird as the Double Ringed. I put him into the

aviary thinking he would be a cheerful companion for my first

friend, but he met a speedy death instead. The bird even at that

early stage being of a very quarrelsome disposition with other

ground birds.


In June I managed to get him on to Century Food, but it

was not until July 2nd that he started developing the distinctive

double rings round his neck, which caused me to realise that I



