196 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 
Sub-family Glareoline. 
Genus Glareola. 
The Pratincoles or Swallow Plovers. 
A small group of birds, which in outward build and flight 
much resemble Swallows. The wings are long, reaching when 
closed well beyond the tail. The bill is short and curved, and 
the gape wide. The legs are short; the hind toe is fairly 
well developed, and there is a trace of webbing between the 
middle and outer toes. The birds are crepuscular in their 
habits, hawking for flying insects in the evening and early 
morning, and resting on the ground during the day. 
Two species are found in Ceylon. 
Rough Key to Ceylon Species. 
A.—Tail deeply forked ; wing over 7 inches. 
G. orientalis (Large Indian Swallow Plover). 
B.—Tail only slightly forked ; wing under 6 inches. 
G. lactea (Small Indian Swallow Plover). 
GLAREOLA ORTENTALIS (Blanford, Vol. 1V., p. 214; 
Legge, p. 980). 
The Large Indian Swallow Plover. 
Description —Upper plumage brown to  brownish-olive, 
tinged with rufous on the back of the neck. Wing quills 
blackish-brown, the primaries almost black, the tertiaries 
lighter ; shaft of the first primary whitish ; upper tail coverts 
white ; tail feathers white at the base with broad brown tips. 
Lores dusky-brown; chin and throat rufous buff, ringed 
round by a narrow black band, edged with white on the 
inside, which runs from the gape. Upper breast olive-brown, 
passing through rufous on the chest into sullied white on the 
abdomen and lower tail coverts. The greater portion of the 
wing lining and axillaries is chestnut. 
Young birds have no gorget, and are mottled brown and 
buff above. The gorget is not assumed until the upper 
plumage has lost its mottling. 
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