310 ON SAFARI 



and Avocet occur as far south as the Orange River Colon}', 

 The latter we did not happen to observe in East Africa. 



Snipes 



Five species are met with — 



1. Gallinago majoi — Solitary Snipe. Observed by us on Lake 



Elmenteita in February — see p. 146. Not common, but 

 Archer tells us he shot several at Butiaba, Albert Nyanza, 

 in November — December. 



2. G. gallinago. Common Snipe. 



3. G. gallinula. Jack-Snipe. 



Both quite exceptional in East Africa. Archer, however, 

 shot a single example of each on the Albert Nyanza. 



4. G. nigripcnnis — Black-winged Snipe. This is the snipe of 



East Africa, abundant in winter on every marsli or 

 splashy corner. It cannot, I think, be distinguished on 

 the wing from our European snipe, whether by its flight 

 or cry. Mr. Archer tells me that at Butiaba he shot all 

 five species of snipe in one day's march — the fifth being — 



5. Rhynchiea capensis — the Painted Snipe. 



Coursers 



I had not the luck to see any of these, though at least two 

 species occur on the Athi Plains, and four have been recorded in 

 East Africa — 



1. Temminck's Courser — Cursorms temminchi. 



2. Hartlaub's Courser — Rhinoptilus hisignahcs. 



3. Banded Courser — B. cindus. 



4. Bronze-winged Courser — R. chalcopterus. 



PllATINCOLES 



Pratincole — Glarcola pratincola. Found in mid- winter in packs 

 of thirty or forty on the driest and most arid plains of 

 Athi, Naivasha and Baringo. Rising close at hand, they 

 woulfl only fly a few yards before all " plumped " down 

 again in a mass. 



Archer found another Pratincole {G. emini) breeding 



