PR A TINCOLES. 



95 



in length from the Imsal phalange to the penultimate one. The ptcrylosis has no 

 characteristic features. This super-family is equivalent to the ' order ' Litnicola?, as 

 usu.ally adopted, and the 'group' Charadriomorphas of Ilu.vley. 



The first family to meet us is that of the pr;itincoles or Gi.-^keolid.e, a small 

 group of Old World birds of very peculiar appearance. They have long jiointed 

 wings and a r.ather long, deeply forked tail, a feature quite unique among Limicoline 

 birds. To this is added a rather compressed bill and deeply split mouth, besides com- 

 paratively short feet. On the whole they have a very great resemblance to some of 

 the smaller terns both in flight and habits. Nothing is more certain, however, than 



Fig. 41. — Gtareota praiincola, common pratincole. 



that these birds are closely allied to the plovers, as also to members of the foregoing 

 super-family, especially the Chionis, with which they agree in lacking occipital 

 foramina and basi]itcrygoid processes. Tliat Liniianis placed the common pratin- 

 cole ( Glareoki pratincola) in his genus Jlirundo, on account of its forked tail and 

 deeply split mouth, is perha])S not so strange. But that Sundevall, as late as 1874, 

 denied the Cliaradriine at^nities entirely, giving it place in the 'family' Caprimul- 

 ginic as an aberrant group of goat-suckers, referriiicr. :is he did, to the large size of the 

 eyes, the form of the bill, the pectination of the long middle claw, ar.d the somewhat 

 sideways position of the hind toe, shows how unsafe it is to rely uj)on external char- 

 acters alone in cases of intricate relationship. The sj>ecies represented in the accom- 



