CUKSOKITJS. 



247 



The Bronze-winged Courser, when adult, may be easily recognized by the tips of its 

 primaries being bronzed for about half an inch with green and red. The metallic colours 

 appear on the primaries before the last traces of down have been lost by the young birds, 

 who must consequently moult their quills in their first autumn. In order to make the 

 diagnosis cover the young in first plumage, other characters must be employed. Upper 

 tail-coverts white, excludes five species ; secondaries black with white bases, disposes of three 

 more ; leaving only C. bitorquatus, which is easily excluded by the character ?io subterminal 

 white patches on the primaries. 



This species has a wide range from Senegambia (Rochebrune, Faune de la Senegambie, 

 p. 281) in the west, almost to the Red Sea (Finsch, Trans. Zool. Soc. vii. p. 294) in the 

 east, and near both coasts in the south. It is found in Angola (Bocage, Orn. d' Angola, 

 p. 420), Damara-Land (Andersson, Birds of Damara-Land, p. 263), and several collectors 

 have obtained it in Natal. I saw examples in the collection of Mr. Harry Millar shot near 

 Durban, but I can find no record of its recent occurrence in the Cape Colony. It has been 

 found in Zanzibar (Fischer, Journ. Orn. 1885, p. 115) by more than one collector (Bohm, 

 Journ. Orn. 18S3, p. 340), and probably occurs throughout tropical Africa. 



It seems to be nearest allied to C. bitorquatus, whilst the metallic colours on its 

 primaries probably show its affinity to the Lapwings. 



Specific 

 characters. 



Geographi- 

 cal distribu- 

 tion. 



Allies. 



CURSORIUS BITORQUATUS. 



JERDON' S COURSER. (Plate XIII.) 



Cursorius primaria prima, macula alba subterminali ornata. 



Diagnosis. 



No local races of this species are known. 



Variations. 



Macrotarsius bitorquatus, Jerdon, fide Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. xvii. p. 254 (1848). 

 Rhinoptilus bitorquatus {Jerdon), Strickland, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1850, p. 220. 

 Cursorius bitorquatus (Jerd.), Giebel, Thes. Orn. i. p. 841 (1872). 



Synonymy. 



Plates. — Previously unfigured. 



Habits. — Jerdon, Birds of India, iii. p. 628. 



Eggs. — Unknown. 



Literature. 



