THE CREAM-COLOURED COURSER. 



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The Cream-coloured Courser (Cursorius g. gallicus). Adult. 



nape, mantle, scapulars, back, rump and upper tail-coverts isabel- 

 line ; ear-coverts and cheeks pale isabelline-buff ; lores, chin and 

 throat bufnsh-white ; breast, flanks and belly light buff or pale 

 isabelline-buff, shading to white on vent ; under tail-coverts light 

 buff or bufnsh-white ; axillaries and under wing-coverts black ; 

 tail-feathers isabelline, central pair occasionally with a small 

 irregular brown sub- 

 terminal marking, re- 

 mainder tipped white 

 and subterminally ban- 

 ded black ; primaries 

 black, sometimes inner 

 ones narrowly edged 

 light buff or white ; 

 secondaries with outer 

 webs isabelline, inner 

 webs black and tipped 

 white, inner feathers 

 with inner webs more 

 or less white or pale 



drab with an irregular brown or brown-black marking towards 

 tip, innermost isabelline ; primary-coverts black ; rest of wing- 

 coverts isabelline. This plumage is acquired by complete moult 

 March to Nov. Summer. — The body-feathers, some scapulars, occa- 

 sionally tail-feathers, sometimes some innermost secondaries and 

 coverts and apparently sometimes some median and lesser coverts 

 are moulted Dec. to March but not rest of wings. Coloration as 

 winter. 



Nestling. — Down on crown sandy-rufous and white with an 

 irregular streak of dusky-brown ; nape bufnsh-white ; remaining 

 upper-parts marbled sandy-rufous and white ; chin and throat 

 white ; breast pale isabelhne, remaining under-parts white. 



Juvenile. — Crown, nape, mantle, scapulars, back and rump 

 isabelline-buff, feathers with irregular wavy sepia markings ; upper 

 tail-coverts same but with faint sepia markings ; eye-stripe light 

 buff, some feathers spotted sepia ; below eye-stripe, from eye to 

 nape a black-brown line, more pronounced in some than in others, 

 feathers tipped buff ; ear-coverts and cheeks bufnsh-white, some 

 feathers of cheeks spotted sepia ; moustachial streak creamy-buff, 

 feathers tipped sepia ; chin and throat white or light buff ; upper- 

 breast as adult but some feathers with irregular V-shaped sepia 

 markings at tip ; remaining under-parts as adult ; tail-feathers 

 as adult but central pair sometimes with two or three irregular 

 wavy bars of sepia ; wing as adult but primaries broadly tipped 

 buff and innermost secondaries as mantle ; rest of wing-coverts 

 isabelline-buff with irregular V-shaped subterminal sepia markings 

 and edged buff, sometimes sepia markings on greater coverts ill- 

 defined or absent. 



First winter. — As adult but distinguished by retained juvenile 



