154 
GLAREOLID^. 
Family Glareolid^e. 
214. Glareola PRATiNcoLA (L.). The Collared Pratincole. 
Moorish. Gharrak (Favier). Spanish. Canastela. 
Favier's notes of this Pratincole are confined to remaj'king 
" that it arrives from the south and passes to Europe during 
the month of April^ being observed returning thence in 
September to join those which have remained near Tangier 
for the breeding-season. All disappear south for the winter 
months." 
I found this bird in April, on the dried mud at the lakes 
of Masharal hadar, south of Larache, in countless thousands. 
They had not then begun to lay ; so possibly some of these 
swarms would pass on northwards. I there witnessed a 
number of these birds mobbing a Marsh-Harrier which had 
intruded on their ground, buffeting and bullying him just as 
Peewits will do when a Hawk passes near their breeding- 
ground. At times at least a hundred Pratincoles were 
dashing at once about the Harrier, which soon made its best 
way out of their district. Pratincoles are very crepuscular in 
their habits, flitting up and down over the surface of a river 
or a pool much after the manner of a Skimmer {Rhynchops) . 
They fly very late in the evening — as late, indeed, as they can 
be distinguished. They are then silent ; but by day, espe- 
cially when disturbed, their cry is ceaseless ; and the Moorish 
name given by Favier is doubtless derived from, as it is sug- 
gestive of, their note. They are generally very tame and 
fearless, often allowing one to approach within a few yards. 
They are birds of very powerful flight, and remind one much 
of the Terns in this respect. 
On the south side of the Straits the Pratincole is found in 
large numbers wherever there are lagoons, which, drying up 
in spring, leave a surface of sun-baked mud on which they 
deposit their complement of three eggs only about the second 
week in May. The earliest egg I saw was taken on the 3rd 
of that month. They mostly arrive about the 20th of April, 
the earliest date on which I saw one being the 4th and 10th 
