62 On the Occurrence of Xordnmnn's Pratincole in Italij. 



is like the head, or scarcely darker^ and there is only a very 

 narrow black line on the lores^ generally quite obsolete ; 

 sometimes only a small black patch on the fore part of the 

 eye is observed. 



Glareola melanoptera has never appeared before in Italy, 

 but Prof. Giglioli has included it among those species 

 which might possibly occur in our subrcgion. It inhabits, 

 according to Sharpe, S.E. Europe, especially the Volga and 

 the loAvlands of the Caucasus, as far west as the Dobrudseha, 

 and even Hungary, wintering in Africa. I have seen two fine 

 specimens of this Pratincole, killed at Sistova (Bulgaria), 

 in the Museum of Sarajevo. 



G. melanoptera is the larger bird ; I give herewith the 

 measurements : — 



G. melanoptera : total length 9"3 inches, culmen 0*75, wing 

 7'4, tail 4'3, tarsus 1'5. 



G. prat'incola : total length about 9 inches, culmen 0'7.2, 

 wing 7'-4, tail 4'5, tarsus 1'3. 



Glareola pratincula is mostly a bird of passage in Italy, 

 more usually found in southern localities during the spring. 

 It breeds in Sicily in the marshes of Catania, Girgenti, and 

 Syracuse, and even in Tuscany. In Northern Italy it is a 

 straggler, while in autumn it is generally uncommon every- 

 Avhere. 



I have seventeen specimens of it in my collection from the 

 following places : — 



a-d. Semi-ad., April 1st, 1800; S S and ?, May 16tb and 21st, 18SJG, 



Padua. 

 e (J. e, May loth, 1895, May 9tli and 18th, 1896, Venetia. 

 /(, i. S, May 2ud, 1888, May 7th, 1893, Lonio-o (Vicenza). 

 h. Young, August 22nd, 1892, on the River Po, near Turin. 

 /. 2, May 18th, 1898, Verona. 



w, n. S 2> -^^ay 11th, 1897, Massaciuccoli Lake (Tuscany). 

 o. 2 , May 6th, 1894, Elba Island (Tuscany). 

 p. cJ, May loth 1896, Bari (Puglie). 

 q. c?,May 12th, 1894, Sicily. 

 ;•. 2 > ^-f'^y 9th, 1891, Sardinia. 



Ca'oddo, near iSIonselics, Padua, Itah", 

 Octoher 14th, 1899. 



