CHARADRITD.E. 



43; 



SUB-FAMILY I IT. 



Glariolin^. 



The Pratincoles. 



Gen. Chabac. — Bill short, broad at the base, and laterally compressed to the 

 tip ; the wings very long, with the first quill the longest ; the legs moderate, 

 with the tip of the tibia naked ; the toes three in front and one posteriorly, 

 V'hich is elevated. 



-..^-^T^^^ 



Fig. 172.— the milkt pratincole. 

 (Glareola lactea.) 



The Pratincoles inhabit tlie temperate and warmer 

 climates of the Old World. They frequent the 

 borders of rivers, lakes, and mountains. Their food 

 consists chiefly of insects, which they take on the 

 wing, like Swallows, and on the ground, where they 

 can run very quickly. They form a slight nest 

 among rushes and thick herbage in the marshes. 

 The eggs are three or four in number. 



* Diminutive of glarea, gravel, indicative of the soil they gene- 

 rally frequent. 



