498 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



1890) and Cambs. Elsewhere vagrant. Very rare Wales and north. 

 Scotland and Ireland. — Rare vagrant. Three Scotland — St. Andrews 

 (Fife), Jan., 1858, Muirhouse (Stirling), Aug., 1897, Fair Isle (Shet- 

 lands), June, 1913. Eleven Ireland, autumn to March. Clare, 

 Cork, Waterford, Wexford, Dublin (5), Antrim and one without 

 data. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Central and south Europe, east at least 

 to the Ural and Caspian. Partially migratory, wintering in north- 

 eastern Africa south to E. Africa, and Mediterranean countries. 

 Casual Madeira, Azores, Canary Islands. Replaced by allied races 

 on Canary Islands, in northern Africa and Asia. 



Family CURSORIID^E. 



Embracing the Coursers and Pratincoles and their allies. 

 European species at least schizorhine. Nostrils oblong, with 

 membrane. Culmen more or less curved. No basi-pterygoid 

 processes. 15 cervical vertebrae. Tarsus in front and behind with 

 transverse scales or scutes. According to views generally 5 or 6 

 genera. 25 species Africa, Asia, a few forms ranging to south-east 

 Europe and Australia. 



Key to genera of Family Cursoriid^e. 



Bill about as long as head, curved, hind toe absent .... Cursorius 

 Bill much shorter than head, culmen curved, hind toe present . . Glareola 



Genus CURSORIUS Lath. 



Cursorius Latham, Ind. On., n, p. 751 (1790 — Type by subsequent 

 designation of Gray, 1840, C. europceus — gallicus). 



Bill about as long as head and curved. Nostrils clearly free 

 from feathers. No hind toe, middle toe much longer than other 

 two, its claw widened and pectinated on inner edge. Tarsus long 

 and thin, milky-white as are toes, scutellated behind and in front. 

 Wings pointed, inner secondaries not reaching tip of wing. 1st or 

 1st and 2nd developed primaries longest. Tail short, very little 

 rounded. Five species and several subspecies in Africa and western 

 parts of Asia, in Europe one species irregular and casual straggler. 



CURSORIUS GALLICUS 



367. Cursorius gallicus gallicus (Gm.)— THE CREAM-COLOURED 

 COURSER. 



Charadrius gallicus Gmelin, Syst. Nat, 1, ii, p. 692 (1789 — France). 

 Cursorius gallicus (Gmelin), Yarrell, in, p. 238 ; Saunders, p. 533. 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter. — Fore-part of 

 crown isabelline ; hinder-part and nape deep gull-grey, concealing 

 a black patch on nape ; broad white superciliary lines extend to 

 nape, under them from back of eye to nape black lines ; rest of 



