gi.areolid/T:. 



5'7 



THE PRATINCOLE. 

 Glareola prati'ncola (Linnreus). 



Even to the south of Europe the Pratincole is only a summer 

 visitor, though on both spring and autumn migrations it occasionally 

 wanders to Great Britain. Its occurrence was first noticed in 1807, 

 when examples were obtained almost simultaneously at Ormskirk in 

 Lancashire and Bowncss in Cumberland, wliile subsequently four 

 specimens have been taken in Norfolk, one in Cambridgeshire, one 

 in Lincolnshire, three in Yorkshire, one in Northumberland, and 

 one, strange to say, in Unst, the most northern of the Shetland 

 Islands. In the south of England, Hants, Dorset, Wilts, Somerset, 

 Devon and Cornwall have been visited; and a bird has been observed 

 near Hay in Breconshire by Messrs. Baskerville, who were well 

 acquainted with the species. In Ireland one, which was not pre- 

 served, is said to have been shot nearly fifty years ago in co. Cork, 

 and the identification was probably correct, for all the evidence that 

 I have been able to collect indicates that this species reaches our 

 shores by traversing the western half of Erance. 



Early in April the Pratincole returns from its winter-quarters 

 in the south to North Africa, where large numbers remain to breed ; 

 while others pass through Egypt and nest in Palestine, Asia Minor, the 

 Dobrudscha, the neighbourhood of INIissolonghi in Greece, Sicily, 

 the Balearic Islands, and the plains at the mouth of the Guadal- 

 quivir in Spain. In other parts of the Mediterranean basin it is 



