238 



CURSOEIUS, 



Geographi- 

 cal distribu- 

 tion. 



following particulars : — It is a much smaller bird, the wing measuring 5'3 inch, instead of 

 from 6'0 to 6 -3 inch ; nevertheless it appears to have longer though more slender legs, the 

 tarsus measuring 2'3 inch, instead of from 2"! to 2'3 inch. The colour of the back and 

 wing-coverts is much darker. The subterminal black bands on the tail-feathers are twice as 

 broad, and are also traceable on the central ones. Finally, the dark margins of the inner 

 webs of the secondaries are paler and scarcely occupy a fifth part of the web instead of 

 more than half, and the colour of the outer webs is grey rather than buff. 



It is only known from a single example which was obtained in Somali-Land by 

 Mr. Lort Phillips, who states that it was fairly common in small flocks throughout the 

 plateau. 



CURSORIUS RUFUS. 



BURCHELL'S COTJESEB. 



Diagnosis. CuRSORius secundariae mediae dimidio terminali albo. 



Variations. It is not known that this species varies. 



Synonymy. Cursorius rufus, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1836, p. 81. 



Tachydromus capensis, Swaimon, Birds W. Africa, ii. p. 231 (1837). 

 Tactydromus burchellii^ Swainson, Nat. Hist. Class. Birds, ii. p. 364 (1837). 

 Cursorius burchellii (Swains.), Gray, Genera of Birds, iii. p. 537 (1844). 



Literature. Plates. — Gould, Icones Avium, pi. 10. 



Habits. — Sharpe, Layard's Birds of S. Africa, p. 653. 



Eggs, in Mr. Crowley^s collection, taken by Mr. Ayres in the Transvaal, measure l^ x 1 inch, 

 and are scarcely distinguishable from eggs of C. coromandelicus. 



Specific 

 characters. 



Burchell's Courser, when adult, combines the two characters of having the hind head 

 slate-grey and of having darh brown or black on the belly ■ but as neither of^'these characters 

 appear in young in first plumage, it is safer to diagnose the species by the pattern of colour 

 on the secondaries, which is constant at all ages. The middle secondary is white, with the 

 basal two thirds of the outer web and the basal third of the inner web brown. 



