CURSORINJi. 
These  birds  are  inhabitants  of  Asia,  Africa,  and  occasionally  Eurojie.  They  are  found  on  sandy  deserts,  or  on  the 
open  stony  and  grassy  plains.  In  such  places  they  are  generally  seen  seai’ching  for  insects  and  their  larvae.  Their 
flight  is  quick  and  j^owerful,  and  while  on  the  ground  they  can  run  with  incredible  speed. 
1.  C.  gallicus  (Gmel.)  PI.  enl.  795. — C.  europseus  Lath.;  C. 
isabellinus  Meyer. 
2.  C.  senegalensis  (Licht.)  Cat.  Dupl.  Mus.  Berl.  p.  72.  — C. 
Temmiiickii  Swains.  Zool.  111.  t.  106.  ; C.  asiaticus  {^Temm.)  Swains. 
B.  of  W.  Afr.  ii.  t.  24. 
3.  C.  coromandelicus  (Gmel.)  PI.  enl.  892.,  Vieill.  Gal.  des  Ois.  t. 
232.  — C.  asiaticus  Lath.;  Cursor  frasnatus  Wagl.  ; Tachydromus 
orientalis  Swains. 
4.  C.  rufus  Gould,  Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  1836.  81.,  Gould’s  leones, 
pi.  . 
5.  C.  Burohellii  (Swains.)  Two  Centuries  and  a Quarter,  P- 
340. 
6.  C.  bicinctus  Temm.  Man.  d'Orn.  ii.,  Jard.  & Selby’s  lllu®*' 
Orn.  t.  48.  — Tachydromus  collaris  Vieill. ; Cursorius  grallawr 
Leadb. 
7.  C.  chalcopterus  Temm.  PI.  col.  298. 
Oreophilus  Jard.  ^ Selby.* 
Bill  lengthened,  straight,  slender,  laterally  compressed  throughout,  the  cuhnen  straight  to  the  front  of 
the  nasal  groove,  and  then  slightly  arched  to  the  tip ; the  lateral  margins  nearly  straight ; the  nostrils 
placed  in  a lengthened  membranous  groove  (which  is  two  thirds  the  length  of  the  bill),  the  opening  basab 
longitudinal,  and  exposed.  Wmgs  lengthened,  with  the  first  quill  the  longest.  Tail  moderate  and 
rounded.  Legs  lengthened,  the  apical  portion  of  the  thigh  scutellated  for  nearly  the  length  of  the 
middle  toe.  Tarsi  rather  less  than  twice  the  length  of  the  middle  toe,  and  scutellated  vdth  transverse 
scales,  both  in  front  and  behind.  Toes  three  in  front,  the  outer  longer  than  the  inner ; and  the  cla'^r® 
short,  compressed,  and  slightly  curved. 
This  species  is  found  in  Chili  and  the  Falkland  Islands.  In  the  fonner  country  it  appears  in  the  plains,  in  sina^ 
flocks,  during  the  winter. 
O.  totanirostris  Jard.  & Selby's  111.  Orn.  t.  151. 
% 
This  genus  was  established  by  Sir  W.  Jardine  and  Mr.  Selby  in  their  Illustrations  of  Ornithology,  but  the  exact  date  is  unknown 
to 
July,  1844. 
o 
