384 Mr. W. C. Tait on the Birds of Portugal. 



211. Otis tetrax^ Linn. ^' Abatarda pequena.^^ 



The Little Bustard is rare in the north of Portugal. I 

 have only lieard of one shot at Vianna do Castello, two at 

 Leya da Palmeira^ some at Ovar^ and I saw one killed at Es- 

 tarreja while out Quail-shooting. Most of these were ob- 

 tained during the month of August^ but I saw one for sale at 

 Oporto on the 8th October, 1881. The species is said to 

 have bred at Bairro Miguel, near Alcoentra, Estremadura. 

 In the Ribatejo and Alemtejo it appears to be commoner 

 than in the northern part of Portugal. 



212. ffinicNEMUs scoLOPAx (S. G. Gmel.). " kXcoxowiio," 

 Oporto, Caldas d^Aregos, Algarve ; " Sizao/' Oporto, 

 Esmoriz ; " Pirole,^^ Tou9a (Alta Beira)"; " Perlui/-" Esmoriz. 



The Stone Curlew is one of the birds which arrive latest 

 in this country : say from the middle of November, staying till 

 the middle of February, being then common along the coast 

 on sandy or stony heaths. Some nest on the sand-hills near 

 Espinho, where I saw a nest containing two eggs, and I 

 was told that it breeds near Caldas d^Aregos and in the Al- 

 garve. On the 25th of December, 1864, I shot one near 

 Oporto as it flew in a southerly direction over my garden. 



213. Glareola pratincola, Linn. 



I am informed that there is a single specimen of the Pra- 

 tincole in the Lisbon Museum, from the Ribatejo. 



214. Chabadrius PLUviALis, Linn. "Dourado," "Pildra," 

 "Pildra dourada,^' Oporto; '^'^ Tordeiro,'' Lega de Palmeira; 

 " Douradinho,'' Tarambola,'-' Coimbra Museum. 



The Golden Plover is an autumn visitant, arriving from the 

 north in the beginning of October, and when the wind blows 

 from the east numerous flocks pass near the sea- shore in a 

 southerly direction. They are more numerous during this 

 and the following month of November, most of them passing 

 south, although some remain to winter here. 



215. Squatarola helvetica (Linn.). '' Pildra prata,"' 

 Oporto ; " Marrao,^^ Esmoriz ; '' Tarambola/' Aveiro. 



The Grey Plover usually arrives later than the preceding : 



