cursores

pl. [Lat. pl. of cursor =a runner.] [CURSOR.] 1. Ornith.: An order of birds characterized by wings ill-suited for flight, but, on the other hand, by feet admirably adapted for running. They fall under Profe or Huxley's sub-cla Ratitse, in which the sternum has no prominent ridge or keel. The feathers approach in structure to hairs. The hind toe is wanting, except in the Apteryx, in which it is rudimentary. It is divided into two families(1) Strut hi on i dae, containing the Ostrich, the Emu, the Ca owary, .; (2) Apterygide, having for its typical genus Apteryx; and (3) Din or nit hide. They belong to the Southern Hemisphere. 2. Palæont .: The oldest unequivocal representatives of this family are in the Eocene rocks. The most remarkable, however, are the Dinornis and its allies, which are of Post pliocene age and from New Zealand. ( Nicholson .)