978 CUESORIUS COKOMANDELICUS. 



forehead and crown rich deep rufous ; the occiput jet-black, running to a point, and partly concealed by the overlying 

 rufous feathers ; a broad, velvety, white supercilium running back round the black occiput, and likewise ending 

 in a poinl ; a broad black band from the nostril through the eye bounding the white stripe all round ; chin, face, 

 and gorge white, passing into the pale fulvous rufous of the ear-coverts, neck, throat, and chest, the latter 

 darkening on the centre of the breast into deep rufous ; lower part of hind neck, back, rump, wing-coverts, 

 tertials, most of the tail, sides of breast, flanks, and secondary under wing-coverts cjuaker-brown ; primaries and 

 their coverts above and beneath, a subterminal band on the tail, and the centre of the belly black ; abdomen, under 

 tail-coverts, sides of the rump, tips of upper tail-coverts, lateral tail-feathers, and tips of the remainder, decreasing 

 towards the centre, white. 



The black markings of the tail vary (probably the result of immaturity) in birds otherwise plumaged alike, some 

 examples having the black bar present on the central feathers and the inner web of the laterals. 



Females have the rufous of the head and black of the abdomen paler than males. I am unable to state whether this 

 character is constant ; but it is observable in two specimens I have examined from Ceylon. 



Voting. An immature bird from the Punjab measures 5-7 inches in the wing, and has the forehead paler, inclining 

 t<> fulvous ; the chest is likewise of a paler hue than in adults ; the feathers extending from the shoulder along 

 the bend of the wing to the point are dark brown, edged with rufescent buff ; and some of the median coverts 

 overlying the tertials have whitish marginal patches as well as tips ; the subterminal patches of the tail-feathers 

 are brown instead of black, and the under wiug is blackish brown instead of black. 



Obs. Indian specimens in the national collection correspond in the tints of their plumage with Ceyloiiese. A small 

 series measure as follows : — wing 5'9 to 6*0 inches, tarsus 24 to 2-2. 



Captain Beavan's measurements of four examples shot at Umballah and Morar are as follows : — Length 8'7 to 9 - 3 

 inches : wing 5-3 to 6-1 ; tail 2-25 to 2-37 : tarsus 1-93 to 2-25 ; bill from gape 1-18 to 1-25. 



The European representative of this handsome Courser is G. gailieus ; it inhabits the southern parts of that continent, 

 Northern Africa, and exteuds through Western Asia to t-Sindh and Kajpootana. It is called the Cream-coloured 

 Courser, and is larger in the bill and stouter in the leg than our bird. The upper surface is a warm creamy fawn- 

 colour, reddest on the tail, forehead, and crown; the nape is ashy, with an underlying black patch, under which a 

 white stripe passes from above the eye, bounded beneath by a black band, which, however, does not pass through 

 the eye; wiugs black, secondaries tipped with white ; beneath delicate greyish fawn-colour, paling to white on the 

 lower parts ; under wing black. Wing of a Sambhur-Lake specimen before me 6-1 inches ; tail 2-7 : tarsus 2-0 ; 

 bill to gape 1'4. 



It i< interesting to note that the South-African species, C. burchelli, [Swains., is, in a manner, a representative of our 

 bird, possessing the same type of coloration. The upper surface is rufous sandy brown, the front part of the 

 head and the sides of the hind neck chestnut ; but the occiput is ashy grey ; the black nape and underlying white 

 and black stripes are much as in our species ; the breast is pallid rusty brown, set off against the white abdomen 

 by a black border. It is a smaller bird than the Indian. A Natal specimen measures 5 - 2 inches in the wing. 



The remarkable Double-banded Plover, Rhinoptilus bitorquatus, Jerd., belongs to this family, but has a stouter and 

 gtraighter bill, aud appears to be restricted to a very limited area near the Eastern Ghats. 



Distribution. — This interesting bird has a very limited range in Ceylon, being confined to the Jaffna 

 peninsula and the north-west coast (including the island of Manaar) as far south as Pomp-Aripu. Beyond 

 this place I do not think it extends, as the large tract of jungle between there aud Puttalarn seems to present 

 a barrier to its further wanderings towards the south. 



Layard speaks of finding it on the Wally plains in the month of April; and Mr. Iloldsworth saw it in 

 almost every month in the year about Axipu, though it was more numerous in the winter season than at other 

 times. I did not meet with it on the Jaffna plains, but found it on open laud along the west coast to the 

 north of Mantotte, and also met with it in the island of Manaar; it was, however, more numerous about 

 Aripu than anywhere else. Mr. Simpson, who resides in Manaar, has seen it on the coast-plains along the 

 sea-board from there up to Pooncryn ; but he tells me that it is never met with inland. I do not think that 

 there is any migration from India to Ceylon during the cool season, but that the birds merely assemble 

 together in favourable localities from the surrounding districts. 



In India it would appear to inhabit the northern parts of the peninsula more than the southern ; but it 



