Pratincole. 371 



socket, give the head a bulky appearance, which is quite charac- 

 teristic of the family. When in repose (and I have often seen 

 them standing asleep) the neck is shortened, and the head drawn 

 down between the shoulders, reminding one of a hunchback. 

 The large majority of them lay four eggs on the ground; and 

 when an intruder appears in the neighbourhood, the male whirls 

 about and feigns lameness, and practises sundry manoauvres to 

 draw away attention, until the female has stolen away from the 

 nest unperceived. They compose a very large family, and some 

 of the species may be found in every part of the world. During 

 the greater portion of the year they congregate in large flocks, 

 and most of them migrate, or partially migrate, retiring to the 

 sea-coast when frost sets in, as is the case with many other birds. 

 The word Charadrius is the Latinised form of %apa$pi6<;, in 

 classical Greek signifying 'a bird dwelling in clefts or river 

 valleys/ xapdSpai. (B.O.U.), though how far this description of 

 locality suits the family of Plovers I must leave the Greek 

 authors to explain. Our English word ' Plover ' is derived from 

 the French Pluvier, ' the Bain-bird.' Wedgewood remarks that 

 the German name, too, is Regenpfeifer, ' the Rain-piper ' (Skeat). 



134. PRATINCOLE (Glareola torquata). 



It is highly satisfactory to me that I am able to head my list 

 of Wiltshire Waders with this extremely rare visitor to Great 

 Britain, and that satisfaction is much enhanced by the circum- 

 stance that the individual in question has found its way into my 

 collection through the kindness of the gentleman who killed it. 

 As the bird is so very little known in this country, it may be of 

 interest if I extract from the pages of the Zoologist the whole 

 story of its capture, as I recorded it in that publication at the 

 time.* ' In the middle of November, 1852, when Mr. Hussey, of 

 Tilshead, was walking over his "land, the day being very rough 

 and cold, the wind blowing from the east, he saw a strange bird 

 descend near him with the velocity of lightning, and settle inside 

 a sheep-fold among the sheep. As Mr. Hussey chanced very 

 * Zoologist for 1853, p. 3843, et seq. 



242 



