116 THE GAME BIEDS AND WILD FOWL 



Genus GLAREOLA, or Typical Pratincoles. 



Type, GLAEEOLA PEATINGOLA. 



Glareola, of Brisson (1760). The birds comprising the present genus are 

 characterised by having no nasal groove, the nostril being situated in a depression 

 no more elongated than the opening. They are further characterised by having 

 a more or less forked tail and a hind toe. The wings are long and pointed, 

 reaching the tip of the tail or even beyond it. The tail is deeply forked, and is 

 composed of twelve feathers. The legs are moderately long and slender, the 

 lower part of the tibia devoid of feathers ; the claw on the middle toe is 

 pectinated on the inner margin. The bill is short and curved, compressed 

 towards the point. 



This genus is composed of three species, confined to the Eastern hemisphere, 

 being inhabitants of the Ethiopian, southern Palaearctic, Oriental, and eastern 

 Australian regions. One species is an accidental visitor to the British Islands. 



The Pratincoles are dwellers on sandy plains, marshes, the banks of rivers, 

 and the shores of lakes and lagoons. They are birds of remarkably powerful 

 and long-sustained flight, and on the ground they progress by running and 

 walking. Their notes are shrill and unmusical. They subsist chiefly on insects. 

 which they capture whilst flying up and down in a Swallow-like manner. No 

 nest is made, and they lay their two or three rotund eggs, which are richly 

 spotted, in a slight depression. These birds are monogamous, and gregarious 

 throughout the year. 



