248 



CUESOEIUS. 



Specific 

 characters. 



Geographi- 

 cal distribu- 

 tion. 



Nearest ally. 



Jerdon's Courser is the only species of this genus which combines the characters of 

 having a plain drown mantle and patches of white near the lips of the first three primaries. 



It appears to have a very limited range, having only been found in that part of the 

 Indian peninsula which lies between one hundred miles and three hundred miles due north 

 of Madras, and, curiously enough, only in open forest country. 



Young in first plumage are unknown. 



It is very closely allied to C. chalcopterus, from which it scarcely differs in the 

 important character of the pattern of the colour of the secondaries. 



Central Secondary Quills. 



C. agyptius. 



C. rufus. 



CURSORIUS jEGYPTIUS. 



BLACK-BACKED COUBSEB. 



Diagnosis. Cursorius dorso scapularibusque uigris. 



Variations. Examples from West Africa appear to be slightly smaller than those from Egypt, the former 

 varying in length of wing from 5"0 to 5*1 inch, and the latter from 5 - 2 to 55 inch. 



