GLAEEOLID^ EHINOPTILUS 327 



Africa, except one found in Southern India ; three species occur 

 within our Umits. 



Key of the Species. 



A. With two black bands across the chest B. africanus, p. 327. 



B. With a broad sandy-brown band across the 



chest, above and below which are narrow 



chestnut bands B. seebohmi, p. 328. 



C. With one black band across the chest; wing- 



quills tipped with metallic purple B. chalcopterus, p. 329. 



707. Rhinoptilus africanus. Two-banded Courser. 



Cursorius africanus, Temm., Cat. Syst. Cab. Orn. pp. 175, 263 (1807). 



Cursorius bioinctus, Temm., Man. d'Orn. ii, p. 515 (1820) ; Jard. d 

 Selby, III. Orn. i, pi. 48 (1839) ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 290 (1867) ; 

 id. Ibis, 1869, p. 76; Aijres, Ibis, 1871, p. 268, 1877, p. 347, 1880, 

 p. 266 ; Ourney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 261 (1872) ; Barratt, 

 Ibis, 1876, p. 212 ; Holub §• Peh. Orn. Sud-Afr. p. 247 (1882) ; 

 Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. pp. 654, 855 (1884) ; Symonds, Ibis, 

 1887, p. 834 ; Seebohm, Geogr. Distr. Charadr. p. 242 (1888) ; Flech, 

 Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 381 ; Bryden, Nat. and Sport, p. 84 (1897). 



Rhinoptilus bicinctus, Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 363 [Setlagoli Eiver] ; id. 

 B. Afr. i, p. 195 (1896) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxiv, p. 43 (1896) ; 

 Oates, Cat. B. Eggs, ii, p. 362 (1902); Whitehead, Ibis, 1903, p. 236. 



Rhinoptilus africanus, Beichenow, Vbg. Afr. i, p. 159 (1900) ; Sharpe, 

 Ibis, 1904, p. 12 [Deelfontein]. 



Description. Adiolt ikZafe.— General colour above brown, the 

 feathers dusky, edged with pale sandy buif, giving a mottled 

 appearance to the upper surface ; four outer primaries and their 

 coverts black, inner primaries and secondaries chestnut, slightly 

 marked towards their tips with dusky ; upper tail-coverts white ; 

 central tail-feathers blackish, paler towards the tips, two outer pairs 

 almost pure white ; eyebrow, cheeks, chin, neck and upper breast 

 whitish, finely mottled and streaked with blackish ; across the 

 breast two black bars, the upper one about half the width of the 

 lower ; rest of the lower surface, including the space between 

 the black bars buffy-white ; axillaries white ; under wing-coverts 

 mottled black and white. Iris dark brown ; bill black ; legs white. 



Length (in flesh) 9-0; wing 6-0; tail 2'75 ; culmen 0-55; tarsus 

 2'2. The female resembles the male, but is perhaps slightly smaller ; 

 wing 5-75 ; tarsus 2-1. 



Distribution. — The Two-banded Courser is confined to South 



