GRALLATORES. GLAREOLA. 211 



tipped with white ; and forming a bar across the wings. 

 Quills brownish-black. 



In the first, or nestling plumage, the forehead, eye-streak, Young, 

 cheeks, and throat, are white. At the lower part of the 

 neck is a zone of pale cream or yellowish-white, which 

 passes into light ash-grey upon the upper part of the 

 breast. Under parts of the body white. Crown of the 

 head black, margined and spotted with pale buff. Nape 

 and hind part of the neck pale ash-grey, with darker 

 streaks. Mantle and scapulars black, margined and 

 spotted with white. Tertials hair-brown, margined 

 with greyish-white. Quills and tail as in the winter 

 plumage of the adult bird. Legs deep grey. 



GENUS GLAREOLA. PRATINCOLE. 



GENERIC CHARACTERS. 



Bill short, hard, bulging at the base, convex, and curved 

 for upwards of half its length, compressed towards the point ; 

 gape wide, the commissure extending as far as the anterior 

 angle of the eye ; edges of the under mandible bending in- 

 wards, and covered by those of the upper, whose curvature 

 they follow. Nostrils basal, lateral, and obliquely cleft. 



Legs of mean length, slender ; with part of the tibiae im- 

 mediately above the tarsal joint naked. Feet four-toed; 

 three before and one behind ; the outer united at its base to 

 the middle one by a membrane ; the inner toe free. Claws 

 rather long, nearly straight, truncated ; that of the middle 

 toe imperfectly pectinated. 



Wings very long ; the first quill-feather being the longest. 

 Tail more or less forked. 



The members of this genus are inhabitants of the tempe- 

 rate and warmer climates of the ancient world. They fre- 



