Cursores (kersorez)

pl. [NL., pl. of L. cur sor, a runner: see cursor.] 1. In ornith.: (at) An order of birds, the struthious or ratite birds, corresponding to the Ratitæ of Merrem (1813), or the Brevipennes of Cuvier (1817): so called from the swift-footed ne of most of these flightle birds. (b) In Sun devall's system of cla ification, the fourth cohort of Grallatores, composed of the plovers, bustards, cranes, rails, and all other wading birds not included in his Limicolæ, Pelargi, or Herodii. Brevirostres is a synonym. (ct) In Illiger's system (1811), the fifth order of birds, uniting the struthious with the cha rad rio morphic birds: divided into Pro ceri (the struthious birds), Campest res (the bustards alone), and Lit to rales (the plovers and plover-like birds).-2t. In entom., a group of spiders, such as the wolf-spiders ( Lycoside ), which make no webs, but capture their prey by swift pursuit. See Citigrada. Cursor i a (kėr-sō'ri-ä), n. pl. [NL., neut. pl. of LL. cursor i us, pertaining to running: see cur sory. Cf. Cursores.] 1. In Latreille's cla ification of insects, one of two prime divisions of Orthoptera (the other being Salt at or i a ), distinguished by their mode of progre ion, and by Laving tubular instead of vesicular tracheæ. The division comprised the three leading types of Forfi cula, Blatta, and Mantis, being therefore equivalent to the modern Cursor i a plus the Gre oria and Euplexoptera. 2. A suborder of Orthoptera, containing only the Blattidæ or cockroaches; the Dicty opter a of Leach. In this restricted use of Cursor i a, introduced by West wood, the remainder of Latreille's Cursor i a are called Ambulator i a (the Phasmide) and Raptor i a (the Mantid a). cursorial (kėr-sō'ri-al), a. [